Hi all or none,  I know blogging isn't a thing anymore.  I don't think.  I don't really have any blogs to read.  They've all fizzled.  My solution, if I continue to come back and add to this site, is the 'follow by email' link in the sidebar.  That way you don't have to check on the blog and feel the emptiness that comes when it is indeed still empty.  This way it will email you if there is new content.  It's not a lazy thing, it's convenient and protecting your emotional health kind of thing.  ;)

Since I am here right now, instead of cleaning my house Friday floor day, I'll give you some of my thoughts.

My head is crowded with them, maybe this will help me again.  Sort and dismiss kind of thing.  It might help my typing skills, since I'm moving pretty slow typing this with lots of errors.  Oh my stars.  Rusty.

Playdates:  feel like babysitting to me.  I do not want to babysit.  My poor kids will have to play with each other cause I refuse to ask other people to take them for a playdate.  They have no problem asking me, but I can't be like that.  It feels rude.  Rude right??  Is it just me.  I should be the one to invite them over.  Maybe they are asking me cause I'm not asking them. . . but they aren't offering up their own homes to us either.  Ugh.  Playdates are the worst.  Why are they called playdates anyway?  I don't remember going on one "playdate" as a child.  Weird.

Plants:  Trying to keep my new indoor and new outdoor plants alive is stressful.  I already killed a new tree.  OK, I'm sure it wasn't me, but I feel bad all the same.  Fixed the issues and replaced it, but now I have anxiety over it's health.  Can you helicopter parent a tree?  Cause I'm doing it.  I got an aloe plant for the library.  I figure cactus will be easier to keep alive, but I have no experience with cactus, just the traumatic memories of my Grandma's giant cactus planter in her backyard.  Shudder.  I can do this.  Positive thoughts alone will make this a reality.  Thank heaven for Google's wisdom, or more like Google's ability to point me to wisdom. . . if such a thing can exist on the internet.  ?

Projects:  We're still working on our garden that we started clearing out last year.  It got put on hold to do the house project.  Anyway, it's still there and still in the process.  Looking for cinder blocks to raise it up.  Those are surprisingly hard to come by here for some reason.  Three stores later and we finally found some.  It's a bummer that Amazon doesn't ship that kind of stuff for me.

Amazon:  I've become reliant on it.  Codependent.  I need nothing else.

Foster care:  I can't get this idea out of my head for a long time now.  I think I need to be involved in it somehow, but finding the right way for me has been a struggle.  I've done lots of research.  I haven't settled on anything yet, but I have this overwhelming feeling that I need to help kids and I don't feel like the money I give is enough.  I'm sure foster care will play a part in my path.  I just don't know where in the path.  Still working through conflicting thoughts.

School:  Jovey got a spot in the preschool at Miley's school.  Yay!  We are very happy about losing that super fun commute.  Miley is super excited to be in 4th grade and I am trying not to worry about the fact that she's one year closer to changing schools.  Ugh.  Stop already kid.

Library:  We don't need the rest of our house, cause the library is the place to be.  The girls even play 'library' in it.  My super comfy chair and pretty windows are quite the draw for me to sit and read all day instead of actually doing any work.  The struggle is real.

Ethiopia:  Finished Jo's PAR (post adoption report) paperwork this week, submitted yearly to Ethiopia.  At the end of April Ethiopia closed down adoptions.  It's heartbreaking.  I feel so bad for all those families waiting or worse, at the end of the process.  I pray their government allows those who have traveled for court to finish the process.  I feel so very blessed and so very sad at the same time.  Jovey talks about visiting Ethiopia again someday.  She knows about the unrest of late and so she knows it isn't safe for her to travel there.  I tell her some things, but I want her to have a good feeling about where she came from so she doesn't feel scared or bad.  She's so young.  It's so hard.

Swimming suspension:  I had some scar tissue removed from my knee.  And I did it at the best time of year possible.  The day before the last day of school.  I can't go swimming for two weeks.  My girls were not happy with my timing.  In my defense, I didn't realize I'd need stitches when I went in to get my knee fixed, so I didn't know I'd be a big summer bummer.  Yeah, not good enough.  So here we are, only been swimming twice so far because Dave was available to do so.  I'm not good at letting my kids swim without a parent able to jump in and save them. . . or just swim with them.  Water and I aren't bffs.  We need to survive on dry land for four more days.  Oh and our backyard pools popped.  Our summer plans are really working out.  ;)

Bugs:  Dave wanted to take the girls somewhere, and since it's hot that somewhere was the mountains.  My girls are not outdoorsy.  Probably cause we don't do outdoorsy, well ever.  Miley surprised us all and had fun exploring and taking pictures.  That camera we gave her for Christmas was a great buy.  She didn't even complain about the 'hiking.'  You should be shocked by that.  We were.  Jovey on the other hand, had mild to moderate panic attacks about the bugs touching her.  We are mostly to blame for not dressing her appropriately.  Sorry, I'm rusty at this outdoorsy stuff.  I did spray her with bug spray, but that didn't dissuade the entire bug population from swarming.  Jo and I had the worst of it.  I'm thinking it was our nice smelly lotion.  I've got three itchy bug bites despite the bug spray.  That stuff never works for me anyway.  It was beautiful and cooler and maybe with more preparation Jovey could do it again, but I have my doubts.

Fruitless:  I've been fruit free for months now.  And some veggies too, and soda, treats, and wheat.  It's a sad existence.  I'd been sick for so long that it's nice to finally be feeling normal again.  It turns out I can't absorb fructose.  Do you know how many things have fructose in them???  It's not good.  Sometimes I really miss fruit, but not as much as I thought I would.  Being NOT sick is so much better than eating fruit.  Though when we get to the fall and I am in need for a caramel apple it might get ugly.

Zinc:  Dave swears by it for his head colds.  I can't stand those stupid lozenges.  Makes me lose my sense of taste, but since I've lost the food I love to eat what does it really matter right?  ;)  I admit, that when I take one at the beginning of coldish symptoms they seem to go away, but then a few days later they are back and we go round and round in circles.  I think zinc (zicam) actually keeps me mildly sick.  Maybe I should be better at taking them for days and not just the first day and stop when I feel better?  User error?  Probably.  Speaking of which I need to go take one and do it every four hours or whatever the crap the bottle says.  If only I had a pharmacist to remind me of these things.  ;)

Memories:  I just started putting together a photobook for 2016.  I don't think I can call it a scrapbook anymore.  No scraps are used, well except for my memory trying to write something on the page.  It's just a lot of photos arranged chronologically by month for the year.  Maybe it's a year book.  I am so behind.  I should do 2017 simultaneously.  Yeah, that's not going to happen.  Oh well.

June-ish:  It's June right?  I should be celebrating my birthday right now.  Why do I not have any cake??  My family is failing me.  I kinda forgot too.  Maybe they can get me a cake for tomorrow.  ;)

Decorated:  As in past tense.  I think I'm done with all the rooms.  And I am sad.  I don't want to be done.  I guess I could work on an outdoor piece for the courtyard, but that's not fun like buying furniture and rugs and stuff to hang on the walls.  Ok, maybe it's a little fun.  I should dye Jovey's curtains, maybe that will help with the sadness.  ;)  She probably really needs a rug for her room though.  ;)

Mommin:  Miley feeds Jovey now.  It's a summer thing.  I wholly appreciate it.  There is something about making food that is just unfulfilling to me.  I hope she remembers her food pyramid.  Maybe I should check in on them now. . .

It's been a year.  A whole year since we flew around the world with our baby.  It doesn't feel like that long ago.


What I've learned in one year:

No child is too young to remember.

Many people will ask about her past because it interests them as a story.  Sometimes my girl isn't seen as a person.

I don't think about the fact that we don't look alike until someone (and this is always the first thing people say to my baby), asks Jovey to point out her mama.  I understand it's their way of verifying that our 'bonding' is successful, cause they can't tell by just looking at us.  We don't look alike, therefore it's obvious our love didn't come immediately shooting out of the birth canal.  ;) The question confuses my baby.  It makes me feel like I'm being tested.  Innocent words do weird things.

My girl had a spark in her eye from the beginning, which was rare when we looked around at all the children.  I didn't realize that her spark was just a shred of what it could be.  I thought she'd avoided the dulling that happens, she hadn't completely, but she was strong and now her spark is a full blown sparkle in her eye.  Going back and watching the videos of her from the beginning are really hard for me now.  I can see her struggle in them.  I'm so proud of her growth.  She's so brave.

International adoption changes you.  Visiting orphanages and playing with those children.  I can't stop thinking about them.  I don't know if I ever could, or if I'd ever want to.  Every child deserves a family and since I can't be that for all of them I'm trying to find my way to make a difference for those kids.

Sisters are the best thing ever.  I may have taken that for granted growing up.  Seeing my girls together brings light into my life.  Sisters are awesome even though one of them has learned to pull hair. . . the one closest to the terrible twos.

Some days I feel like persuading everyone I see to adopt.  They NEED to do it and I'm annoyed that they aren't.  Other days I can see how it is a difficult path that maybe isn't right for everyone.  I've never been so torn on an issue.  I may have multiple personality disorder now.  ;)

I'm pretty sure I had a pod person experience.  I am not brave.  I do not do things that are so foreign and out of my control.  I do not travel around the world.  How did I end up making these decisions and surviving them?  I cannot believe that I did any of that.  Seriously, I really can't.  I am so very grateful for the alien possession that happened so that I could have my daughter.  ;)

I understand why it's annoying when people touch your kid's hair.  Especially black curly hair.  Ask first please.  And don't rub it, ever.

I never liked matching outfits.  Miley loves them, always has.  She wants to match us constantly.  I can now see why it's important for her, and important for Jovey.  It gives her a sense of belonging.  A way to be connected to us all.  I rarely notice the stares anymore, but Miley does.  Miley introduces Jovey as her sister to anyone that talks to us, even just a passing hello.  She wants them to know that we are family.  I'll not be bothered by matching outfits if it gives my girls a little more connection and shortens all conversations with complete strangers.

Doing Jo's hair is not such a daunting task.  This may change.  Trying not to worry about that though. Headbands are awesome and keep people from calling my girl a boy.  :/

Jo's coconut lotion makes it even harder for me not to eat her little face.  She smells so delicious and those cheeks are just so juicy.

One year's distance from air travel has not changed my feelings about airplanes/ports/security.  I don't know how much time is required for me to want to do it again. . . well to that extent. . . or ever.

Every child is different.  Obviously.  I kept looking for Jo to have issues like other adoptive families children, but things just didn't happen that way and I worried that they didn't.  Crazy, but true.  I had to stop looking at her as part of that group, but as an individual.  She is her own person, and yet she is very similar to another little person I know.  My girls don't share blood, but you wouldn't know it from their personality traits and they have a lot in common with us too.  We are freakishly alike.

I appreciate my sleep.  Bed time is a great time for the whole house, which is why I'll have to cut this life-lesson-list off here.

I am the luckiest mama.  Jo just reminded me of this one.  Lucky two times over.

It's the end of April and the other day I realized that last year at this very time we were headed to Ethiopia for the very first time.  The very first time we met our baby J.  And now I'm crying.

I can't believe it's already been a year.  I know I complained about waiting through the whole 2 year experience.  The blog has plenty of evidence of it.  Today, it feels like it went so very fast.

In the middle of the wait, the not knowing when or how it would end made it seem indefinitely long.  Those eight weeks between visits were gut-wrenching for me.  Now from this side I think 8 weeks flies by.  I got a lot of comments and questions about why it was so hard during that time.  I was always shocked to hear these comments, cause it made no sense to me why no one could understand my distress.  I guess it's hard to understand when you're not experiencing it.  I can see it now, from the detached side.  I must have looked crazy.  I can't find the words to describe that painful time.  I like looking at it from this side much better, so I won't try to explain it now to relive it.  I survived.  It strengthened my faith.

Jovey has been home 10 months.  When I realized she had been here longer than she had been in Ethiopia, it made me kind of sad.  Another thing that is hard to explain.  Of course I'm happy she's home with us, but Ethiopia is still a part of her, a big part.  Everyday we're getting further from Ethiopia and I don't want her to lose it.  Ever.  We loved it there.  I wish she could remember it.  I look forward to bringing her back to see it again.  I just hope they have invented teleportation by then cause I still have very strong feelings about that flight.

It's been such an intense experience that I wonder if I'll still have the same emotional response I do right now thinking on it, in the next years to come.  Will I always remember it so emotionally vivid?  I look back at my instagram feed and see the post the morning I found out we were going to bring our baby home and I feel it. . . that crazy crying happy emotion I couldn't contain at that moment.  It's a rush I always want to remember.

I try to remember the first moment Miley held Jo, especially when Jo is teasing Miley and they are annoyed with one another.  It helps relieve the frustration.  ;)  Flashback:  It was 11 at night and we were so tired of traveling, but Miley was wired with excitement and it energized us as well.  We walked in the door and I was afraid that my bouncing Miley would scare the crap out of Jovey, but she didn't.  Miracle.  ;)  Mie immediately wanted to hold her and feed her a bottle.  You may remember the video.  Miley was a natural.  ;)  Jo didn't seem to mind though and just sat and smiled up at her.  Remembering that moment gives me peace when the girls are acting like sisters, and peace when they are acting like the best of friends as well.

It really has been the best year.  The hardest year.  It's weird how those two can go hand in hand.

We're going through the temple this weekend.  One year from the day we saw our baby smile up at us, we'll be sealed as a family.  It seems fitting.

I'm used to people telling stories about how busy they are and list off a dozen things.  Poor overflowing plates of stuff.  I'd think, that doesn't sound like too much, or why don't you cut x,y, and z off, or why are you telling me.  Now I'm thinking I shouldn't tell you what I'm thinking, will you stop talking to me if I divulge my inner monologue?  ;)

Everyone is going through different things and everyone's plate is a different size I've decided, sometimes depending on the day.  See, I think nice things too.  ;)

I also think listing things off is cathartic.  My plate is feeling dessert sized today, like fancy restaurant portion dessert sized, not like mine where the dessert may be the main course.  So roll your eyes if you want, cause I understand, but let me get some of this stuff off my chest. . .

- insta-friend bday invites -  We've received our first bday party invite from a classmate, of which I have no clue who it is.  What is the etiquette of these things?  I don't have a lot of time to do some sleuthing.  I got a positive recommendation from another friend about said person.  Is that enough?  Do I have to buy presents for every member of Miley's class now.  Ughhhh.  Grateful her birthday falls in the summer a little, cause I don't have to worry about inviting a lot of kids I don't know to my house.

-pets and pills-  Having health issues with my pups.  Giving me stress.  Thyroid in one, allergies in the other.  Hoping all these pills resolve something.  They are my babies too.  What can I say.

-soccer starting- We put Miley is soccer this year.  Starts this week.  She's kinda nervous, kinda excited.  I'm trying to be positive and not expect her to fall down and get hurt immediately.  Should I bubble wrap her just in case?  ;)  She has a friend on the team.  She asked me if they would have time to talk to each other while they play. . . this should be interesting.

-waiting- My perennial adoption status update.  Right now we're waiting on paperwork from the government so we can go to the next step of name changes, court petitions, and social security cards.  It's been almost 11 weeks.  They are SOOOOO slow.  I just want to be done with all the paperwork already.

-mama's girl-  Jovey has trust issues, for obvious reasons.  She's very attached to Dave and I, but now that Dave has been working she's more nervous about whether he'll be around or not.  She's extra clingy to me.  So last week I had to leave her with Dave to do an activity for the 10-11 year old girls.  This was the first time I had left her at all in like 12 weeks.  I assumed she would be fine since she had her dad.  She was not happy with me when I got back.  I burst her safety bubble.  Had some struggles since then, but she seems to be relaxing again.  I don't know if it's a good idea to do it again and live through those few days of not-fun to show her I'll always come back. . . ??  Stumped.  I don't like to see her panic.  She doesn't trust us fully yet.  I understand it, but it makes me sad.

- I can't relate to tweens -  Do they call 10-11 year olds tweens?  I don't know.  So I'm in charge of activity days for these girlies and let me tell you it is no walk in the park.  I'm doing it by myself, so no one is there to help my wrangle the pack of rabid squirrels.  I swear, that's what tween girls most resemble.  I had them make necklaces last time and found out that they couldn't tie knots without my help, or turn the fabric right side out, or follow instructions. . .they of course know a better way.  Oy ve.  My girlies will not be tweens, ever.  It is a lost and empty stage where parents probably just put their heads down and soldier through.  Oh and in the end they only complained that I didn't bring treats for them.  I learned my lesson the last time when they complained about what I brought.  Is it wrong to call them out on my blog?  Sorry parents of ungrateful tweens in our ward, but maybe you needed to know.

-baby to 1 year in no time- My (three month old/family age, nine month old/chronological age) J is growing and changing so fast that I feel like I'm constantly behind.  She's starting to walk.  She wants to feed herself.  I don't know what a 9 month old eats anymore.  I feel like I should be starting at square one with lots of bottles, but we're already to solid foods and less bottles.  I have learned my memory is crap.  I don't remember anything from Miley's babyhood.  How did I keep her alive?  No idea.  Do I try to slow J down since she missed some important baby experiences?  Our doc says she is perfectly on schedule developmentally, so I shouldn't worry.  Silly doctor, of course I'll still worry.  I can't believe she'll be one in a couple of months.  I gave her some Ethiopian food today, cracker/cookies we brought back with us.  She was a fan, so was Miley.  Sometimes I forget that she hasn't always been with us, strange but true.

- dancing queen - My Miley is a dancer and singer. . . well a rock star pretty much.  Jovey dances to any music now because of her sister's influence.  Miley has her first dance recital this weekend and she is once again nervous and excited.  I am the same.  Hoping she doesn't fall down and hurt herself.  ;)  Recurring worry, yep, it happens. . . a lot.

- homeschooling - That's what I'm doing for Miley.  Kindergarten is letting her brain atrophy.  It is way too easy, but Miley loves it.  She's always happy and excited about everything.  Her teacher sends home 1st grade homework for her to do, but of course she doesn't get the lesson in school. . . so I'm giving her the lesson and we're doing the work.  Kindergarten is just a social event.  I am sooo not good at homeschooling.  I didn't remember what the long U sound is.  Yep, sad.

- rain damage -  My yard is still a mess.  I cleaned up one mudslide, but hadn't gotten around to buying more bricks to dam up the wall, so of course the rain came again and renewed the red mud pile.  Let's call my first effort practice or just exercise.  Lucky.  ;)  Haven't found a solution for our waterfall yet either.  Stupid landscapers.  I am almost using that word as a curse word now too.

- favorite holiday - I'm not ready for my favorite time of the year.  I have nothing finished, and only minor things started.  Feeling sad that I don't have more time to devote to creating spookiness.  What I had for Miley didn't fit, so now I'm altering.  Hoping I can get it done, or that no one will notice when I re-use a costume from a previous year.  Also, fingers crossed, this doesn't freak J out.  Maybe cross yours for me too on that one.  Maybe I should make our costumes not spooky this year.  Oh that hurt to type.

- fired again -  So when we were getting ready to go to Africa the RS presidency changed my visiting teaching list.  They asked me to do the mail out ones, since I'd have my hands full with my baby.  I agreed and I did it without a problem.  OK, a small problem, I forgot to call the supervisor and report it.  She never called me either though.  Got a call the other day saying that I didn't have to do visiting teaching anymore cause apparently it was way too much for me.  Total deja vu.  This happened when Miley was a baby too.  Fired, even though I was doing it this time; that time it was hit or miss but I blame my partner for complaining about my kid's napping schedule.  ;)  Should I be offended or just happy and relieved to be off the hook again?

- drugs are bad - I hate taking meds.  I am still sick.  Don't worry you are not at risk.  On big time antibiotics and steroids.  This is the mother of all sinus infections.  My doctor said if it turns out to be dengue fever then there is nothing he can do about it.  Honesty, I appreciate.  He gets me.  Having to take medicine for the side effects of the big time antibiotics and steroids.  So sick to my stomach.  Blech.  Being healthy is now just a foggy memory.  ;)

- I also broke a finger nail -  Yeah, it's bad here.  ;)  Thanks for not thinking bad things about my plate size, or not thinking them loudly enough that I could hear them.

. . . and I know you're not surprised by this.  I wasn't prepared before we received our referral for the questions we would get from everyone/anyone.  I didn't think about the answers I would give.  I'm thinking about it now, because the questions keep coming and I'm still having a hard time finding a way to fend them off without being rude.

People always ask what we know about my daughter's first family, her history, her past. . . why she is with us now.  I should NEVER answer this question, but I have.  I am kicking myself.  If people really thought about what they are asking they'd realize how personal and painful that information is for our daughter.  It is no one else's business.

I get that because we are adopting it is uber-interesting and curiosity is abounding in all aspects of the process.  I believe that they are not asking out of malice or anything other than an abundance of curiosity, and probably not knowing what else to ask.

You have to know it is a painful answer.  International adoption does not start in a place of joy.  It is a profound loss for my daughter, why do you need the specifics?  It will not be a story my daughter will want everyone around her to know and talk about.  They might understand this when I slipped and told them some things, but what about the next person they mention it too. . . a friend, someone who may know us, and then what about her privacy when it is casually passed further.

I take the blame.  I am the one who said too much.  I'm just trying to figure out how to say less when it comes up again, and it will. . . every week someone asks.  My daughter is too young to understand it now, but her story will always be a part of her.  She's already dealing with it emotionally at 9 months.  I worry about her handling it mentally and socially still.  She won't need audience participation when that time comes.

You may have asked me already, and I do not think badly of you.  It's not something you think about beforehand.  I say things all the time before I think about them enough to reconsider.  I wouldn't have understood had I not been in this place now.  So here I am, trying to help any/everyone to see how this question is harmful, especially when asked to a mama with very little filter.  Don't ask, you don't need to know.  Don't be upset when I won't talk about it.

If you know things about my daughter please don't talk about them around her or to anyone else.  It is her business, please help me mend my mistake.

And while I'm asking. . .

Please don't tell my daughter 'she's lucky'.  I will always correct people on this one.  No, I AM lucky.  Don't minimize her past by saying that.  Don't make her feel like she owes us something for saving her.  She doesn't.  We didn't.  The US is a nice place, but so is Ethiopia.  It is beautiful and the people there are gracious and kind.  It is a good place and she is not lucky to be here.  That phrase is so loaded that it hurts me to hear it, and I know it too is said without thinking.  But now you know.

I am lucky to have my girl, we are lucky to be a part of her family.  You can call me lucky any time.

If you're curious or concerned about other things you should never say to an adoptive family, you can find dozens of articles on the internet.  They all pretty much say the same things, and they are all true.

Or just talk about the weather, that's what I do.  ;)

On Monday, June 24th, I woke up to a text from my sis asking if I had heard anything.  (The US embassy in Addis emails come around 2am).  I then checked my email so I could with certainty tell her my tried and true answer. . . not yet.  Instead I found an email saying we had cleared embassy and subsequent emails from our director telling the embassy we wanted an appointment the next week to get her visa.  Floored.  I was floored.  I wasn't expecting it yet, maybe in another week was my thinking.  I woke Dave up and tried to explain to him the good news.  He doesn't understand much when first awoken.  It took awhile.  ;)

We had to pack.  We had to call our travel agent and we needed to get Miley and the dogs squared away too.  It was a busy day, and luckily a day Dave had off of work.  We soon found out that the only time we could get to Africa was if we left on Wednesday.  No sooner, no later, everything else was booked, impossible.  Two days.  That's all we had to get ourselves ready to go.  Was so happy to see our baby girl that the panic of it all didn't set in until we were in the car on the way to the airport.  What if I didn't pack everything we needed?  Distinct possibility since I threw it all together in a day.  How was I going to survive the stinkin plane rides again?  A miracle, that's how.

Our first flight out of Vegas decided to add to our panic. . . it was delayed, to the point that it wouldn't get into Chicago until 6am, the exact time our next flight left for DC.  We were in trouble.  We had to get to DC, cause that was the only flight to Ethiopia we could get for days.  We didn't have days, our embassy appointment was Tuesday.  Add in the fact that the next week contained a holiday (the 4th) and the embassy would be closing early for that, so we needed to get in and get our visa.  No rescheduling.  Ugh.  So we had one tense flight to Chicago.  We got in at 5:57am and our connecting flight was in the same terminal, other end.  We saw the plane was still at the gate when we taxied in.  The pilot told everyone to stay seated who didn't have an imminent connection and they gated us in record time, that is the only way we got off the plane within seconds.  We were those people sprinting through the airport.  I've seen them before and thought, 'too bad they didn't plan better, or dang that's a bummer for them.'  Dave was having trouble keeping up because his legs felt like rubber after the flight.  I didn't wait for him.  I assumed I could faint in the gate and keep it open until the slowpoke caught up. In the end, I think they held the plane for us cause as soon as I got to the counter gasping they greeted me by name and in a very nonchalant way motioned for us to board.  Well we appreciated the exercise and stress to our hearts.  ;)

Two more flights later and we were in Ethiopia again.  Surreal.  It was early morning, but our bodies had no idea what time it was.  This trip we experienced the worst jet lag.  I never knew what day it was or what time.  It was bizarre.  It felt like we were there for an eternity and it had only been one night.

We traveled with friends who had court the same week as us the last trip.  Our Ethiopian director asked us at the airport if we'd like to go shower before we got our girls.  Apparently we looked like we'd been on a plane for two days straight.  ;)  We said, no we're good, let's get our baby.


We had to stay at a different guest house this trip, so we weren't around all the other kiddos (a licensing issue).  We got to get our girl and bring her back to stay at the new guest house with us.  It was sad to not be at the TH all the time and play with the other children.  We got a little stir crazy in the guest house.