Erin and Abby are loving their new umbrellas

Mother’s Day braiding assembly line

I braided Megan’s hair, and she braided Abby’s

Yay, Spring!!!

Mark graduated from the Bear pack at cub scouts, to Weebelos!

And he is now playing Baseball and having a great time!

And here is a video clip (I missed the hit).

I’m playing catch up today. Our photos from Easter gifts with the kids and my parents are here! Why don’t I have any pictures with Steve’s parents!??! We have to get some major picture taking going, Rita!

Erin:

Abby:

Megan:

Mark:

I’ve been being spammed badly. I don’t have the hour everyday it takes to clean up the several hundred spams, so I’ve added a little thing for comments that you have to fill out. Sorry for the inconvenience!!!

AND, it appears that youtube videos screw up something with this version of wordpress, so I’ve had to delete several posts.  If there is something you wanted to see again, let me know and I’ll let you know where I found it.

We need to preserve our daughter’s heritage. How exactly we are going to do that, I’m unsure. One of the most important traditions in Ethiopia, also known as the birthplace of coffee, is the coffee ceremony. Here is a link to a slideshow of an Ethiopian coffee ceremony.

When I traveled to pick Megan up in Ethiopia, we got to go to a traditional restaurant, and experience a coffee ceremony. I was sitting closest to the woman performing this, and trust me…. the insense and the smoke from the coffee beans nearly drove me out of my seat. But it was so neat to experience it! And the coffee was full of sugar, and flavored with clove. It sort of reminds me of a pumpkin spice coffee. Delicious! And talk about fresh! Megan tells me that she has picked coffee beans herself before. Our coffee must be a poor substitute for Ethiopians who are used to fresh!

Also, a friend gave me a link to an Ethiopian TV channel here in the states. You can check out the Ethiopian Television Network. I’m hoping it will refresh my daughter’s language skills that she has lost.

Another way I plan to try and preserve her country’s language for her, is to purchase an Amharic language program for her. Her first language is her tribal language, Wolaytania, but since there is no program available for that, we will attempt to maintain her second language… Amharic. There is a website for Ethiopian Children that helps preserve some of their heritage called KidMia. They partner with Shining Star Multimedia’s software to help the children maintain the Amharic language, or to learn it for the first time if they are younger when adopted. They also have a program called English for Amharic speakers, for anyone who wants to learn English.

And, as you browse the Kid Mia and the software site, you’ll find some products for children. They are working on the language program for children also. When they are done, perhaps we’ll be able to afford it.

I just found a new site I didn’t know about until just now. Ethiostork. Check it out. Maybe there will be some helpful things there. For a fee they have a web seminar for adoptive parents!

And last, but certainly not least, here is a link to an on-line Amharic Bible. We printed some of this out for Megan when she first arrived.

Megan lost her language QUICKLY. It is amazing how quickly these children adapt to the new culture, new language, and new family.

Heidi

Update: Mark and Megan both got first place for their science projects. Way to go, kids!!!

Mark and Megan had their science fair this past week. They both worked really hard on their projects. I’m going to put them both into this post so you can see their hard work. They also had to come up with a biblical application for their projects.

MARK’S PROJECT: Rainbow in a Jar!

He gathered his materials, and then demonstrated density and miscability, and how they work together to create layers of different types of liquids.

The finished project!

Biblical Application:

This reminds me of the promise God made after the flood.

Genisis 9:13 (NIV)

13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

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MEGAN’S SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT:

Dancing Raisins!

This project uses the bubbles of carbon dioxide. They adhere to the rough surface of the raisin, raising it to the surface. At the top, the bubbles pop, and the raisin floats to the bottom again.

Gather materials. Add raisins.

Pour in club soda

Watch the raisins float to the top, and back to the bottom again.

Biblical Application:

When the raisins dance, it reminds me of people being joyful.

Jeremiah 31:13

Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

For those of you who followed the injera wars of 2006/2007, and who cheered for me when I finally mastered the process, you’ll be happy to know that in Pennsylvania, Injera is a thousand times easier!

It had to have been the altitude that made it so darn difficult to achieve injera.

Thankfully, by lots of trial and error (and discovering where to buy a mitad, which I shared with my friend Heather-you can watch and learn to make injera by following her YouTube video series on the topic) I finally mastered the difficult steps and process.

Here in Pennsylvania, I don’t have to be NEARLY as fastidious about it, and I don’t even need a mitad. My tortilla pan works great. Here are a few picture.

Blessings!
HW

Check this out. You can buy coffee… AND feed orphans! And it is fair trade. The best of all worlds! (can you tell I’m a coffee addict AND a passionate believer in helping orphans and widows?) www.saintscoffee.com/

James 1:27 (New International Version)

27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

It is one way we can all help!

I don’t really post much. Of course, those that know me, know life has been in upheaval for awhile now.

And I don’t have much to report for general consumption. My parent’s moved out! They are in their new house, and things are much quieter here now. Although my dad calls every few hours with computer related questions.

I had to post a picture of my father playing the Wii. He joined in the kid’s bowling game! For those who don’t know, my dad had a stroke 7 years ago, and his left side is paralyzed. This is the most animated I’ve seen him in years!!

I just love having twins. They love each other too.

And daddy too!

Ok, here I am.

Nah… I changed my mind.

My sister from NC and her children visited here this week to see the snow. She lived in Florida, and now NC, so her kids have never seen snow. Well, not snow like this anyway!

Out of respect for her, I won’t include pictures of her kids… but here are mine. We went sled-riding at a local elementary school with a huge hill! This was a first for my kids too, and they had a BLAST!

Then, the kids migrated to the playground for some freezing fun.

Brrr… it’s cold here.