I know so many of you try to be as eco-friendly as possible. My sister-in-law wrote a pretty great article in my favorite local magazine about ways to make our kids’s birthday parties mirror our values. Not only is it a really well written article, but it features some remarkably cute kids. 🙂

Read it here.

On Sunday Dailah was invited to the annual Princess Ball at my father-in-law, Frank’s, church. Even though they do this every year, she still gets just as excited as she did the first year.

So Dailah and I entered our modern day version of the Red Tent and prepped her for her night on the town.

At one point I even looked down and she was meditating. With proper mudra fingers and “Om” on her lips. Love that girl.

We finished with just enough time to snap one picture before we had to meet Frank at the church.

Getting her out of the car, I couldn’t help but see the likeness between these two.

This year papa stepped up even more and brought her a wrist corsage. She squealed with delight. They were quite the handsome pair.

A quick picture of two of the people who love her most (Note to self, never be in the forefront of a picture, does nothing in the way of making my oversized head appear smaller).

While Dailah and Papa were at their dance we went out to eat with some friends. Last week I had heard that one of my favorite Mexican restaurants (Los Agaves for those local folks) had $1 tacos on Sunday. Since I 1) love a good deal and 2) love Mexican food I got all kinds of excited about the possibilities. The Bergers and Smiths met us out where we had our typical amazing time.

These two seem to always dress alike. This night they were rocking their very best Bill Cosby sweater look. Love that about them.

Doozie joined us after her dance where the Berger sisters (who she considers her sisters) met her with oooos and aahhhhs.

I don’t really understand her love of dressing up all fancy all of the time but I must be honest in saying a part of me was thrilled that she rocked the arm tats the whole time too. Love her so, so much.

On Wednesday we had an appointment with an ENT specialist for Tariku. The last few months his snoring had become so intense he was keeping Tomas and himself up at night. Then around Christmas he fell asleep in the car. After awhile of loud snoring it got quiet. A few minutes later he started gasping for air and woke up. 

So I’ve been horrible at blogging. Many reasons why, but the biggest is probably just that we were busy. And when we weren’t busy I decided catching up on DVR sounded like more fun than blogging. So I gave myself that.

But it’s Monday now. President’s Day actually, so the kids are home from school. I’m trying to put off a house cleaning and a grocery store trip so blogging wins.

Last weekend (as in, not this one we just celebrated but the one before that) was laden with joy. Friday night my brother and sister-in-law took the kids overnight so Zach and I could have some QT together. We had so much fun going out to eat, lingering at different shops, hitting up one of our friends’ bands at a cool venue in town and then going home to an empty house. There was nothing earth shattering that happened, except we got so much uninterrupted time with each other, which is really all we needed.

Saturday night Leslie and Jake held a “Baby Rave” at their place complete with a fog machine and strobe lighting. What started out as a distraction for them (has it really been almost 3 years they’ve been waiting for Baby Klipsch?) ended up as a really fun night for adult and kid alike. We offered to take my brother and sister-in-law’s babe for them this night so she enjoyed her first rave as well. Turns out having a baby makes it a lot tougher to take pictures. Also turns out when a fog machine is added into the mix, most cameras don’t know what to focus on. Either way, was able to snap just a few.

Sunday I woke up to the smells of omelet making and coffee brewing. Then heard the kids entering the room carrying breakfast for mommy. Squeals of “Happy Valentines Day, mommy” greeted me.  Though a day early, it made me so completely happy.

Sunday night we met with our group of friends for dinner at the Bergers. Lasagna soup (amazing) and other homemade goods made my belly dance and the company made my eyes sparkle.

It was just one of those weekends that you wake up on Monday morning so deliriously happy you forget about the laundry that didn’t get done or the garbage that is overdue to be taken out. And Praise God for weekends like that.

Never really been a big deal in my life. I’ve always made it a point to make sure my boyfriends/hubby recognize that I think it’s not something I really “believe in”. This lets me them off the hook a bit, but mostly I stress that mama likes to know you love me throughout the year.

Since having kids, the day has taken on a whole new meaning. They just get all kinds of geeked out for the outpouring of love large amounts of high fructose corn syrup.

So a few years ago we started a tradition of either a) writing each other little love notes or b) going around the table and telling each other specific things we love about each other. It’s my favorite thing, because the kids are so creative.

I write them all down and put them in their scrapbook but a few good ones:

From Dailah to Tomas, “I love you because you carry me everywhere and you always say, ‘oh Dailah you are so silly and so cute’.”

From Tariku to Zach, “I love you because you are so, so strong and you play with us all of the time.”

From Dailah to me, “I love you because you are a good person to all of us.”

From Tomas to me, “I love you and dad because you make the best food I’ve ever had.”

From Trysten to Binyam, “I love you because you have the cutest curlies in your hair and you make the funniest faces.”

Needless to say, there was lots of love at the dinner table tonight. And every other night.

So valentine’s day. I love it now. Not because I get really awesome gifts (I actually got nothing, which is perfect) but because I get lots of high fructose corn syrup now have 6 valentines to share it with.

And they are the most perfect valentines in the world.

am loving this today. From here:

Dog piles.
I’ve been running. Kind of.

Mostly I’ve been walking, with short bursts of running if a song comes on that is really, really good. Even then, I only run until I feel sure that I’m on the verge of peeing my pants and then I go back to walking…. It’s a girl thing. (Ok. So it’s an old lady who’s had 3 kids thing.) Anywaaay. I’m sick of being flubby and I’m tired of being depressed, and this walking/running/trying not to pee thing has been helping a great deal with both of those issues. So that’s good.

The only problem is that there are fat piles of dog crap everywhere. We’re talking about insane amounts of poo in every form imaginable. Fresh poo. Old poo. Crusty white poo. Poo that looks like soft serve ice cream. Poo made of rice and beans. Grass poo. Poo that makes you ask yourself “Did that dog survive?!” Poo with little flowers growing out of it.

I think you get the idea – The side of the road is speckled with turds.

So the key to running, er, walking hastily, in Costa Rica, is to keep your eyes firmly planted on the three feet or so ahead of you, only looking up occasionally to see that you’re headed in the right direction. Otherwise you’ll end up slipping in dookie and breaking your neck or rolling your ankle on one of those hard crusty pooballs. And take it from me, that is embarrassing.

So this morning I was out there, and I was thinking about how it is just like me to get caught up in gazing at what’s waaaaay up there, on the road ahead, that I forget that I’m navigating through landmines right here and now. I fail to address the most pressing needs because my heart and mind are set too intently on the future. And that’s a pretty good way to end up in a pile of shit… So to speak.

Sometimes I see the Church doing this, too. I’ve seen folks who are so hell bent on figuring out where a poor soul is going to spend eternity that they either don’t see or don’t care about what that person needs today. And I see a lot of sad, hurting, broken people walking away from this Church that seems to care so much about whether or not they’re “saved” but doesn’t bother to find out that they’re lonely. Or sick. Or starving to death. Or that they’re overwhelmed by raising children, or financial burden, or porn addiction, or whatever. The people around us are navigating landmines that could take them down at any moment. And some in the Church want to hand them a Bible tract and say “It will all be okay, if only you make it into Heaven someday.”

Talk about a pile of crap.

So I was reading the Bible (I do that sometimes) and I was struck by something interesting. In Mark 8, when Jesus was preaching to a big fat crowd and they got hungry? He fed them.

His friends were all “Hey, Jesus, everybody’s getting hungry…. Should we cut ‘em loose?” And Jesus was like, “ Um. Noooo. How about we feed them so they don’t die. “ (Paraphrase mine). Notice what he didn’t say? Jesus didn’t say, “Yes, let them go home hungry for if they die of starvation it’s no big deal because they’ve met Me, so it’s all good. Eternity is all that matters!” No – He fed them. It mattered to Jesus that those people didn’t go hungry that day. It mattered.

It matterS.

Today matters. And how we care for those around us matters.

The people in my life who have most influenced me are those who fed me when I was hungry. They are the women who came alongside me when raising babies felt a little bit like being slowly eaten by cuddly, diapered piranha. They are the couples that have stood by El Chupacabra and me during the absolute darkest moments of our marriage. They were anonymous donors that, when we were younger and poorer, gave us a gift that kept us afloat for another month. The people who changed my life are the ones who took the time to walk with me awhile, showing me how to navigate the landmines and the steamy piles of crap and even ~because we all step in it every now and again~ sat down with me to dig the shit out of my shoes with a toothpick. So to speak.

They didn’t introduce me to Jesus and then abandon me, thinking they’d sealed my eternal fate and nothing else mattered. They helped me live in the everyday, and in doing so they developed in me a bright future.

So as I was zig-zagging between dog-logs this morning, I felt like God was reminding me of the very thing my dearest friends have taught me over the years; Live alongside people, and be keenly aware of their needs. Feed them if they’re hungry and look out for the crap in their way, so that if possible you can help them though it, or even better, around it. Because if you really care about any one person’s future, eternal or otherwise, you’ll be heavily invested in their today. Dog piles and all.

Tomas has started to read. It’s been so fun watching him learn the letters, the sounds and now, put it all together. It’s amazing, really. I took 4 years of French and all I can remember is

tres interresant

oui

j’adore

des poissants (fish)

So on Saturday Zach took the kids to dinner while I prayed for death lay in the fetal position in the throes of the flu. Upon their arrival Zach was excited to show me that Tomas could now read.

Zach (who is the best dad in the world, not sure if I’ve mentioned it here before) gave him a few words on a napkin and helped Tomas get the courage to try them out. Well, Tomas did it. And it was awesome.

Tomas was really excited to show me as well. After Zach gave him a few more words, it was bedtime. A few minutes later and Tomas is coming up to tell us Trysten wrote a new word for him to read!

“Fart”.

Yup. And wouldn’t you know Tomas sounded out the word, laughed hysterically and then went and high fived Trysten.

Boys. Oy.

there’s a football game going on. The only reason that interests me is because usually it serves as a good excuse to eat copious amounts of crap food I don’t usually eat. Well…I’ve had the flu since yesterday (very mild case, my body’s gotten pretty good at fighting stuff off) so that wasn’t nearly as appealing to me as it has been in year’s past.

As a quick aside, yesterday as I was laying on the couch begging for death, this surrounded me. Darn I love this man.

Annnnnnyyyyyway, let me answer a few questions that came up from my last post.

1) Tomas’s hair cut. yeah, he was “forgetting” to comb his hair every day. So I finally said, “Tomas, I love your hair, you love your hair. But if you don’t start combing it, we are going to have to cut it.” He told me to cut it. So that’s what I Zach did. He loves it.

2) Their names. In Ethiopia, babies are given a first name and then their middle name (it’s a bit different than our version of “middle name”) is actually their dad’s first name. Their last name (again a bit different) is actually their paternal grandfather’s first name. We chose to keep all 3 given Ethiopian names for Tomas, Tariku and Binyam so that when they go to Ethiopia they will be able to find any and all remaining family members relatively easily.

So Tomas is basically Thomas of the Bible. Binyam is Benjamin of the Bible. Tariku means “his history” in Amharic. Very cool names.

We gave Tariku the name “Xavier” (so his full name is Tariku Asamo Abiyu Xavier Klipsch) mostly because we liked it but also because it goes back many generations in Zach’s side of the family.

We had read in various places that adopted kiddos liked having their adopted parents name them as well. It kind of gives ownership (which is a horrible word for what I’m trying to say), particularly when the family has biological babes mixed in as well.

We gave Tomas the name “John” because that is my dad’s name and I happen to love him a whole lot. 🙂 It’s also my brother’s middle name and, if you’ve been here for awhile, you know I happen to love him a whole lot as well.

Binyam we gave “Malachi” because it’s a name I’ve loved since I can remember hearing it. After hearing it was actually a chapter in the Bible (who knew?) I read and reread it. It’s perfect for our little Bini boy.

Yes we know their names are long and perhaps a wee bit complicated. But it tells their story, their complete story, we couldn’t possibly have changed that. And you should hear them recite their names. The look of pride on their faces is unmistakeable. No doubts in my mind, we did the right thing in this case anyway.

So there you have it, hair and names. Both are kind of a big deal around here. 🙂

Tomas Birhanu Anshebo John Klipsch

and

Binyam Birhanu Anshebo Malachi Klipsch

Yesterday we had our final court appearance for the boys. Here in the States we call it the “re-adoption”.   Though they’ve been legally ours since May 18, 2010 (when they went to court in Ethiopia) this little court case signified the beginning of their American citizenship and, sadly, the end of their Ethiopian citizenship.

On Tuesday I told the family what would be happening on Friday.

Me: “So Tomas, on Friday Daddy and I are going to ask the court that they let us be yours and Binyam’s mom and dad forever and ever. We are so excited that it will be officially official. But you’re old enough. We want you to want us too. So, just think about it, let me know. Let me know if you would like me and daddy as your parents forever and ever.”

Tomas: “Oh please, please, yes! Also, does this mean that I get Trysten, Tariku and Dailah forever and ever too?”

Me: “Yes, that would mean that all of us, no matter what happens, will be a family for the rest of forever.”

Tomas: “Ok, yes, I want that more than anything. Please, please, let’s go there now!”

So that’s what we did. And boy was Tomas excited. All week he told everyone what was going to happen on Friday. It made what can sometimes be a perfunctory part of the process seem really special.

This was them before heading in to court.

The coolest part about the deal was that the judge was an adoptive parent. So there wasn’t an underlining  tone of, “Well good job for what your doing, etc”. Her first comment to us was, “I’m an adoptive mom. I know how amazing it is to build a family through adoption. How beautiful it is.” After that, she was aight with me.

At one point she said something like, so let me introduce you to: (and listed the above names).

Got a little choked up. Because their names symbolize that union of all things Ethiopian and American. Their full Ethiopian names and their American names (our last name, obviously, and then the middle name we gave them).

And just like that, we were family.

The best judge ever let the kids pound the gavel to proclaim it so.

Tomas: “We are family!”

Then the rest of them pounded and said, “They are our brothers!”

With our lawyer (who is also the most amazing lawyer) and judge.

Afterwards we went with the rest of our support system to Village Inn.

To celebrate the rest of the day Zach, my dad and my brother took the big 3 snowboarding. The ladies took the 2 littles shopping. 🙂 We also picked up my nephew Eli to hang with us since Leslie and Oliver have been sick for a long week.

It was an awesome, amazing day. This family of mine, it is a blessed, blessed thing.

School off today. School off tomorrow.

I’m not great at being forced inside for days at a time.

In fact, right now I’m just thankful for birth control. When the kids get bored they ask every second to play the Wii. When the parents get bored? Well, they allow for the Wii play and go play on their own.

Just sayin’.

I am also thankful I have kids who love playing outside regardless of the cold temps and waist-deep snow.

Some incredible drifts. (And our stuck Honda Pilot)

When push comes to shove, this one always entertains us.

Happy blizzard to you!