The worlds heaviest 2lb. punkin~

And it's not this one folks, it's the little 2lb'er in the video below!!!

Lori, do you REALLY need to take another picture today, man!

I shot video of this excercise and it is grueling to watch (but sorta funny) ~ me making pumkin bread ~ it's yummy and simple to make! Here's the blog!


Auntie Rhonda (aka my BFF) came by to see the kids and she didn't come empty handed! They love thier goodies Ron, thanks again!


When MP's away... the doggie sleeps under the covers in his spot!




Corn Maze 08' ~ not as cool as BU 08', but the kids loved it!



Even her running is so much more coordinated these days ~
She's gained a few pounds and outgrew a pair of pants (length wise) already ~

Chillin' with my girl ~

So with the new layout blogger didn't automatically add all of my friends to the blogroll so I don't have one anymore! :0

It'll take me a bit to re-do so be patient!

I hate to lose a fight... but I did!

EDIT 9/23/08... the blog is NOT private, if you're on it you have the new address!

So first let's start with the icky stuff... in one week We're are going private! I hate to do it and I KNOW that many readers will drop off due to the pain in the neck to sign in but I watched Oprah today (not normal these days for me) and it was all about pedophiles. It made me so sick and the thought of a person/man getting jollies over seeing our videos or pictures was enough to send me over the edge. My friend PQ has mentioned going private to me several times and I just didn't want to do it ~ I thought, "if someone wants to find us that bad then let em' have at us". That quote sounds REALLY bad when I write it but it's like locking every single window in a home sometimes. If a burglar want's in then they'll find a way...

In any event, the show was beyond disturbing, it was disgusting to say the least. This blog has been more of an outlet for moi than it has been needed or helpful for anyone else anyway.

So here's the deal; in one week we're going private! Yikes, I hate it! PLEASE, if you're a family/person following our blog we want to invite you to continue!!! Email me and I'll send the invite, if you're a family/person that has a blog and interest in Ethiopia then I'll be able to see that by your blog, so even if you've never commented etc. but want to follow email me! This means YOU GUYS TOO (you know who you are L.R.N./R.L.A./P.K.P/M.L.G./J.H.C/P.G/S.E.T)!!! Enough of this talk, here are some fun pics and vids of our past week...




My Crazy Girl! Oh, how I love this personality!!! She just cracks me up so much!!!

She's too funny - it dragged on too long and I gave up on trying to edit it to make it shorter so the only good part is the "strings"!


Yay, happy girl! She's the best girl in the world 97% of the time, but when she digs her heals in, look out - silent treatment for hours!


Lil' Miss and the happy family! This might be one for the Christmas card! Whatd'ya think???? A keeper... She hated my guts when we took this - it's kind of funny actually. We all got dolled up for an evening in Cambridge Mass. for a Enkutatash celebration on Saturday night! It took us a bit to find the location but we did, unscathed! And she recovered from her "tude" soon after!

Why are we going after the day we've had with Ms. Attitude?? I'm glad we did even though it wasn't what we had expected. Music, too loud to even talk! I was lip reading through most conversations! Can you tell I took this myself in the same position (cuz there's a mirror in front of me to see the backside of the camera) as always! You wouldn't know that there are three other semi-capable people who could do this for me! Duh~ And yes, I chopped my bangs in a furry of anger because I had just "had it" with them falling in my darn face when I was cleaning up Tessa's un-accident in her pants, yes, she pee's in defiance instead of venting with words or tantrums! They were all in the car and I ran in to grab the camera and take a snap of myself before my makeup absorbed into my skin from sweating trying to find the place (Boston) and holding her all night! Everything worked out fine, whew. We only stayed for an hour and a half due to the time (7:00pm when we left) and dinner didn't look like it was going to be served anytime soon (way after scheduled). So, we hit the road for the ride home at dusk. Tessa was as expected - very shy and clingy. Why wouldn't she be? Once we were in the car to come home she came back to her normal chatty self and life was good.

Look at those balloons - yay!


Bloggers, she doesn't need introducing, it's Katy and Co. at the Enkutatash celebration. This is Ruth and I must say that the twins are far more beautiful in person (not that they aren't in pictures) than on their blog! Yay family of four! We also met this wonderful family there too! It was funny because Jenn recognized "us" and came over to introduce herself as a blog follower! While it wasn't as big as a blog union it was nice to connect briefly with some familiar local faces.

OK, so today before we picked Nicholas up from pre-school we had a few pieces of jerky for a quick snack. After we ate "the few" I got pulled into Oprah. While I was watching the tube I heard a weird noise from the kitchen, like a wood on wood noise. Tessa wasn't with me so I got up and it dawned on me that it was the same sound that the bathroom stool makes only it wasn't in the bathroom anymore! Immediately following there was a crinkling sound coming from the counter! I grabbed the camera which was right near me because I figured out the situation... I snuck up on her and found this! Gotcha babe! So freaking cute!!! Of course I let her have one more! Precious little girl, just precious! She insists on wearing socks most of the time!

Past few days ~ quick pics.

Listen to the pronunciation of S-Noopy, and S-top it!! Way too cute!

Victory Dance! Go Tessa!

Opening a wonderful gift from afar... Leul Gurske made the necklace, bracelet and Africa box!

DO NOT make me say it AGAIN MOM! Kum-ee!

I'm the new one piss-ant, not you - the camera is ALL MINE!

Snoop Dog (Snoopy)!

The rest of the trip and now home!

This is the face of the girl that we met in Addis... she was like this very much of the time but we got some fun pictures in Ethiopia too (not many). Why am I smiling? Not a clue, if you can figure out why send me an email! Perhaps I knew how she'd change 100% when we left for good.


Here I was feeding her - see my fake smile? Actually, I was very happy because she took food from me for the first time! Yay!

Notice the only happy pictures of her were in our room - she loves Barbie which I have since re-named to "Bedhead Barbie". Once Tessa got hold of this doll it was all over for her hair, poor Barbie! We have new black Barbie's at home!

Here little girl, want some bracelets?? Can I buy your love?? :) Look at my stupid smile!

Unfortunately we brought this for nothing. 1. The battery died 2. She had NO interest in any type of videos or TV until a few days ago!

Getting her hair done for the coffee ceremony on the last day, can you see how tired I look! I do like this picture because I look pretty thin!

After getting ready to go downstairs for the ceremony and goodbye's she conked out on me!

MP got up and said the most beautiful things to the caregivers and staff on behalf of all of the families in our group - I wish I had it on video, it made for some very teary eyes!

This is the packed they gave us at the ceremony and you can see on my face how emotional it all was. The nannies from the big kid house came over with many of the children and sang songs etc... I so wish I could show a little video of Tessa's goodbye song (they sang it before handing her over to my arms)... it was gut wrenching. After the ceremony we zipped our bags and had a light dinner with the group, then Mulat came to bring us to the airport. Many of the folks walked out the front door and waved as we got situated in the van and drove off. This moment scared the crap out of me - we were completely 100% her parents and caregivers ALL THE TIME from here on out! Yikes, we were leaving for all kinds of travel with a complete stranger! After we settled in at the airport I noticed she was fine, not just OK, but fine! The trip home was a joy and so is our new life! Something overcame her when we were at the airport, like God waved his hand over her body and mind and put her at ease. She knew what we represented from the moment she saw us and that's why she fought us. I think she decided that life would be ok with us and she just instantly changed... I don't know how to describe it, the fear, anger, attitude all literally washed out of her face and it hasn't resurfaced one time! Not one! Don't get me wrong, she's withdrawn a few times when confused or scared but is nothing like she was there. She is our miracle girl, so strong and sweet and full of grace. She's fragile and trusting of us, it's wonderful.

It feels like it was yesterday but even more it feels like it was eons ago, it's all so fresh and all so foggy at the same time -

AND HERE WE ARE - NOW A WONDERFUL AND HAPPY FAMILY OF FOUR!

We are so blessed and we love her very much, she is a joy to be with and I can't say enough about her. Nick is having a tough time but he's dealing ok, he's been a real pain in the butt (not including my busted tail bone)! Here are a few of the things I've learned about Tessa since I've known her...

Our daughter is:

FUNNY (thank you God - I so wanted a funny girl)- she's hysterical and her timing is dead on!

SWEET - she is SO cuddly and kisses me ALL DAY LONG out of nowhere! Her accent is too much!

GENEROUS - she shares so well with Nicholas and is always trying to give things to people.

PATIENT - she doesn't get frustrated when trying to do things, she takes her time

CONTENT - I can put her on the counter while I'm cooking (for an hour and a half one day) and she's content just watching me or playing with a doll, she doesn't WHINE EVER

AGREEABLE - no tantrums, meltdowns, or hissy fits if she doesn't get something she wants. The most I've seen her do is get a serious face and look upset (but I've figured out that humor quickly gets her out of her mood - All I have to do is make a funny face at her and she cracks up)

Sad - this one I hate because I can't change it, she's still in our room at night and cries/moans/screams/and get's very worked up into a sob on most nights - asleep all the time, she never wakes up. She's comforted within a minute or two until the next memory or dream an hour or so later that rocks her night... it's getting less and less, it's so sad. She wakes up beaming and is beaming and gitty almost all day.

BRAVE - she's been out and about with us since day one (which we didn't plan on) and is cool with everything we've done. She's just now doing good with house visitors and I've lifted the moratorium on house visits from friends. She's realizing that immediate family poses no threat to her new happy life and is very loving to them!

TINY - still in 18-24 months and barely into 2T! She's so petite!

STUNNING - beyond what the pictures convey she's stunning from the inside out!

She spontaneously throws her arms around me/MP when she sees a camera pointed our way for a photograph!

Just looking at this picture I want to squeeze her - hard!

Not too strong with a ball and still cannot figure out a big wheel or pedals - soon!

Look at that face!

And she LOVES spicy food, she tries to eat salsa like it's a stew or main dish! :) And she's my only child who goes banana's for my meatballs!!! I've already made two more batches!

And my guy - he's so handsome!