One Month in America!

Did one month really go by?! It is fun to reflect on a little girl who had never used a straw before that is now playing the Wii with her brother and sister.
Rob and I have often used this analogy to gain perspective. It is like we started reading a novel a third of the way through. We aren't sure how it started. We are figuring out the plot as we go along. As we keep reading the plot becomes a little clearer.
I know we will not completely figure her out. That is kind of a joke in our house...When Joel was one week old I said to Rob, quite confidently,"Go to work! I need to figure him out!" Every year on his birthday Rob asks me laughing,"So, have you figured him out yet?"(sorry,I think I have told this story before:)) The same goes with Isabelle and Yabsira. God is the only one who knows them completely. So, we need to constantly be seeking Him on how to raise them. After all, He knows the whole story!
THEN

AND

NOW

Happy Birthday Yabsira!

Yabby's Birthday was a blast! And thanks to Grandma and Papa Brown she thinks all cards sing and have a dollar in them. She got plenty of toys but one of her favorite gifts was from Aunt Brenda...two mangoes! At preschool she got a really cool birthday hat that she insisted on wearing while we did our errands! So everywhere we went people wished her a "Happy Birthday" and gave her candy! At the bank they even gave her a big bag of stuff. She was in heaven!lol What a great first birthday in America!

YABBY

When we found out our daughter's name, I thought it was beautiful! Yabsira means "the work of the Lord"! And she certainly is! Before she was home I would let everyone know her name. "Her name is Yabsira," I would say,"But you can call her Sira." It was so sweet and lovely,sigh.
Don't get me wrong, I still think our daughter is sweet and lovely. But our little one is a firecracker! She is fun and silly and has enough energy to power the whole eastern sea board, so... She is Yabby! It comes out so easy and is very fitting.

SNOW!

Yabsira is fearless! She loves the SNOW! Or as she calls it"ICE!" Her Dad has tried to explain to her by holding snow in one hand and ice from the freezer in the other the difference between snow and ice. But she protests and says "NO, ICE!"
This picture was taken when the weather was a little warmer. Joel and Isabelle only had to show her once how to use the sled and zip,she flew down the hill! It was pretty trying to get her to come in!

Week 1

A lot of ups and downs this week. Here are some of the ups.

We are home!

It seems like we were in Ethiopia a lot longer than one week. When we arrived at our last airport on a very long journey our family and friends were waiting for us at the end of a tall escalator. They welcomed us with balloons signs and a lot of love!
Yabsira fell a sleep on the way home from the airport and missed a welcome home party. She was so tiered we couldn't wake her up!
I don't have time to write more right now. But please enjoy some of our pictures.

Happy New year!  Last year at this time we didn't even imagine we would be celebrating  in a Pizza shop in Ethiopia listening to Jonny Cash!lol 

Today was a great day.  Yabsira is like a sponge.  She has learned so much English and she understands alot of what we are saying also.  One of her favorite things to say is "I love you Daddy!"  She is very sweet and full of ENERGY!

Robel our guide took some of us to do our last minute shopping.  We met some of the homeless children he sponcors to go to school.  It costs money for everyone to go to school here.   So many of the children never get the opppertunity to go to school. 

The Tennants and Savages left to go home this evening. Please pray for their LONG plane ride with their little guys and that there are no delays.

This will most likely be our last post in Ethiopia.  I think tomorrow will be interesting.   We will post when we get home.

Again thank you all for your prayers and support!

Heather