Ethiopian Kids Community Mehaber

The EKC Summer Mehaber (large festival) was held on Sat, June 28. This is the fourth year we've attended and it is always so much fun to connect with other families formed through adoption. This year, they had a kids fashion show at the end of the day, including dancers from Ethiopia. Most of the pictures below are from that closing ceremony.

EKC Mehaber (more pictures)

You'll notice how most of the children are behind the Ethiopian dancers?? That is, except Alex and Almaz who are at the front of the stage. Alex needed more room to do his very large flag dance and Almaz, of course, wanted to follow Alex.

Three years of Alex

It has been three years since we first met Alex! He was a mover and shaker on the first day we saw him and still is! When he was four months old, he would lie on his back and kick his legs up and down - violently and for great lengths of time. Those legs were ready to move and once they got started they haven't stopped.

A little update about Alex...
1. He learned how to ride a bike without training wheels just 2 months after turning three! He zips around the neighborhood and we're teaching him that it isn't okay to be boastful when he sees older boys with training wheels. Of course, it is okay for us to be boastful!
2. Alex has an amazing appetite and, starting when he turned three, has been eating his own Chipotle burrito! Our food bill is going to be ridiculous.
3. We are all working on "the terrible threes!" Wish us luck and pray often for us!

Here are some recent pictures of Alex:

A couple of times a week, over the past month, Alex has not been able to fall asleep at nap time. This has never worked out well. Here he is, around 4:30 pm, after a HUGE meltdown, asleep on the floor.


A neighbor had a large tree taken down in his backyard. A rare moment where Alex sat still and just watched.

One year of Almaz

One year ago today, we met Almaz for the first time! The year has completely flown by and we have loved every minute of getting to know her personality. (although, just recently she is starting to pick up some of her brother's bad habits!!)

A little update about Almaz....
1. She LOVES electronics. Months ago she knew how to turn on every stereo in our house, put CDs or movies in the portable player, can figure out what all the buttons are for on everything electric.
2. She sings sings sings. I can almost always tell what she is singing and she loves it when I identify her latest song.
3. Almaz is a light eater...except when it comes to sugar or salty, crunchy things.
4. Almaz is the best sleeper in the entire world. Sleep has never been an issue with her which we are extremely thankful for since it was such a huge issue with Alex.
5. For a long time, Almaz only wanted me (Anna) but has just in the past month or so started to show a little more independence and has started to venture out.
6. She is super laid-back and can just "hang-out" for a long time (20 - 30 minutes) without really doing anything.
7. Almaz always has to be carrying something around. Usually, she'll find something in the morning and that is her "thing" for the day. It doesn't even need to be a toy, or a baby or cuddly. It could be anything and I've learned that it is not worth trying to get her daily item away from her until she is ready to give it up.

Here are some pictures of our precious Almaz!

Almaz likes to line things up, as you can see in this picture.
a little much-needed quiet time after a very long day.
Almaz's "winning" smile.

Hunger Crisis in Ethiopia

Try to be in a good place emotionally before watching this video clip:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7444998.stm

Grant received an email recently from an aquintance in Ethiopia. A portion of the email is pasted below (my notes in bold):

"I am writing this letter after I have seen many children with severe malnutrition especially with severe acute kwashiorkor dying helpless in some of the communities in the south which includes the Walayta, Kambatta (where Alex and Almaz were both born), Hadiya and Gurage zones. In one small feeding center I saw 6 children die a day.

To the surprise of thousands waiting for aid who are just bone and skin or edematous because of malnutrition; the government is denying that people are dying.They even ordered their lower officials not to allow NGOS to give aid to the hungry.

People are just dying, children are dying while crying for dabbo (bread). There is no food produced, no food to be bought even if you give the people money. There is a severe locust spread damaging the new crop and there is severe epidemics of typhsu, relapsing fever and malaria.

I hated my exisistence this month because I kept quiet not speaking for this dying people fearing the kadres of MELES ZENAWI (president/dictator of Ethiopia). I hated to be born Ethiopian. The lord spoke for my heart by giving a word "speak for those who have no voice" from the bible. We need to shout loud for them and not stop. Prayer, adovocacy or lending a support in ways we can.

Meles Zenawi is hiding the severe hunger like what Haileselasse and Mengistu tried to do. GOD, kill me or change situations and the Heart of the government in Ethiopia."