Month+ recap...and Almaz's adoption is final!

I can't believe that over a month has passed since I posted anything about our kids! Alex has really enjoyed the snow and loves playing outside as much as he can. Here is a great picture from a couple of weeks ago with Grant, Alex and Almaz all bundled up.

The Ethiopian Kids Community Genna (Christmas) party was on January 5th. Christmas in Ethiopia is actually Jan 6 (not Dec 25) so it is much more appropriate to celebrate beginning of January than to try to find a time in December. We had a great time seeing old friends and meeting new people. The group is really growing too! Can you see Alex? He is right in the middle with a cheesy grin and a blue stripped shirt.
Almaz loves her babies. Her favorite and most-often used word is "baby" and she does the sign for baby at the same time too. She carries her babies around and pats their backs to comfort them. I've even caught her trying to change diapers. This has been a pretty fun revelation for Grant since he has virtually no experience with little girls and how they play.
On December 28, Almaz's adoption became final! We had a quick court appointment with a judge (below). He was super nice and even tried to get Alex involved by letting him bang the gavel to make it official. We went to Fasika Ethiopian Restaurant after for an early dinner and got all kinds of attention. Alex and Almaz made a couple of friends and the Ethiopians we met there were all very excited for us and our adoption finalization. It made for a festive atmosphere.
Alex and Almaz both got plenty of really nice gifts for Christmas. But their favorite? A stocking stuffer of a helicopter where the blades spin around when you push the button. All for about $2. I've actually hidden these since Chirstmas so they'll have a "new" toy when we fly for an upcoming vacation!

In other news....Alex and Almaz have become friends! Alex is so sweet and gentle with her and they love playing together. He is really kind to her and always want to make sure that she has a toy and is always very concerned if she is crying. When they have snacks, they like to share and to even feed each other. This makes them both laugh really hard. They have their bad moments too, but based on our first few months I could never imagine that it could be this peaceful in our home!

Thanks for checking in! I'll try to not let another month+ go by before posting again.
- Anna