A blog from Haiti I follow

I am not quite sure when I started reading this blog, but it was one that has touched me for the last couple years as we have been in the adoption process. They seem so real and I connected with them in an online blogging sort of way. Anyway, this familiy has been in Haiti for the last four years. Thankfully, they are all okay, but they have seen and lived through this last week of the unspeakable. Here is their website to see things through their eyes and pray along with them and others, as they are being the hands and feet....

Christmas Card 2009 & Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! I just wanted to add this onto our blog for two reasons: 1), www.ChristinaKoonPhotography.com did an awesome job of capturing our family and designing the cards and 2), I didn't order enough!! Oops! I thought I bought plenty, but about two weeks ago, I realized I was going to be short, so I stopped addressing them and just waited to send them to people as we received theirs(probably not the most Christmas-y thing to do, huh?). The bad thing about that, is that we still had about twenty cards in our mailbox after we got home from Minnesota. Oh well, hopefully for those of you that did not receive one that usually does, you will read this and forgive me-sorry!! :)

Christmas @ the Farm-2009

The slideshow above is from our time at the farm. We had an absolutely fantastic time there! We got to see so many relatives and introduce Fia and Kwame to many of them. It was our first time traveling on a plane as a family of seven and I can honestly say, that besides fitting our bags in one car, it was a piece of cake! We have excellent travelers. Unfortunately, the parents behind us didn't have as good of luck during the bumpy flight with their little one-yuck!

We traveled on Christmas Day and I really wish I would have my camera or video camera ready for when we were about a mile from the farm. We hadn't seen any cars in over 90 miles because there was so much snow and all of a sudden, there are two deer that are coming on the road straight at our lights. We slow down and they realize they need to turn around, so they do, but they don't leave the road. They just run directly in front of us at high speed. Eventually we slow down because we didn't want to scare them, but they too, just slow down and stay on the road. At this point we told the kids that they must be Rudolph and Vixen leading us into the farm; after all, it was Christmas! We decided we needed video,so we stopped the car for me to look for the camera, and then they stopped and actually came up to the car-it was surreal! We eventually spooked them and they jumped into the drifts(up to their heads). Just at that moment, we got to Daron's lane to his farm and Daron's dad came down the hill in his John Deere tractor with plow!Grandpa was our hero-they kids were totally cheering(and screaming!). We never would have gotten up without him and the plow lane was EXACTLY the width of our tires! (read-good driving Daron). What a fun adventure on Christmas night as we arrived-we will never forget it!

The rest of our time was fun(and cold)as you can see from the pictures...some of you may have already heard me whine about no espresso stands within 60 miles from the farm, and that was terribly challenging for me(hee hee-maybe just a little exaggeration), but I have a great mother-in-law that bought some strong coffee and a brother-in-law that brought me some Starbucks Frappucino's-thanks guys!! Wow, am I high maintenance??!! Good thing for me they think I have cute kids that are worth it and balance me out!

2009 Christmas in WA

Happy 4th Birthday Kwame!!

Happy birthday to our sweetest little boy!! I am so thankful that we get to spend his birthday with him for the first time this year. We missed him SO much last year and this time last year, my heart was aching for him. Now, we get to celebrate with this little guy, who has stolen our hearts-we love you Kwame!

(Kwame asked for peanut butter and banana with some sugar cereal for his special breakfast in bed!)

Kwame has such an excitement for life; he lights up a room whenever he walks in. He is easy going, super loving towards his siblings, and just loves people! He is a daddy's boy and a mommy's boy all at once-we are blessed! On this Christmas Eve morning, we have so much to be thankful for. We LOVE you Kwame!!!

Kwame got a cool John Deere bike this year! We are thinking his Grandparents at the farm are going to love it too! They are mostly a 'green' farm. We actually got it for him at an auction earlier this fall for Water 1st and it has been so hard to hide it from him!

"Ho, ho, ho..Green Giant!"

Remember that jingle at the end of the Jolly Green Giant commercial? Did you know that there is actually a replica of him in MN in a little town near Daron's family farm? I think it is Blue Earth. I'm guessing that's where the company began. We used to stop by there when we would drive from Chicago to MN all the time(there was a Dairy Queen there). Anyway..I told the kids that they are growing like the Green Giant......

It was six months ago exactly that we last measured Fia and Kwame, so I decided, what the heck, I already have 100 things on my list to do today, why not add one more....(two, now that I am blogging) THEY HAVE GROWN TWO INCHES SINCE JUNE! I have been hang drying their pants lately since I thought they were shrinking, but in reality, these kids have been growing like weeds. Kwame(4 tomorrow) is also 3 lbs. heavier than Fia(5). He is pretty proud of that and keeps saying that Fia is little-er. Fia was very relieved that she was still an inch taller than Kwame. The other kids are also growing, but in comparison, they grew two inches in a year. Justus is almost 5 ft. and Ella is a inch taller than Justus was at this age...anyone following? Random post I know, all this to say we have been focusing on growth this morning.

**Also, as an addendum to the last post, my dad was over this morning for donut day and I asked Kwame to tell him what tomorrow is (thinking he'd say his birthday/Christmas Eve). Kwame looked at him and smiled-"ipod!"**

The simple things (or not!)

This is Kwame and Fia's first Christmas with us. It is also Kwame's first birthday with us this December 24th. Kwame is three and going to be four next week. People have been asking what we are planning for him and honestly, I thought we would celebrate with family over the holidays this year, but as he gets older, we will make sure to plan a party before Christmas so he doesn't feel jipped.

This year for his bday present, we actually bought him his first bike. It's a super cool John Deere one. To everyone else that has asked what he would like(inquiring Grandma's and relatives) I have been saying not to worry, nothing big, and that he won't even notice. I said he doesn't need anything, but it will be fun for him to open a couple presents so....maybe just something little like a matchbox car, playmobil, or a small nerf gun so he doesn't keep taking his big brothers. WELL, I WAS WRONG!!! Guess what this 3, almost 4 yr. old keeps telling people he wants this week??? (mind you, he is the youngest of 5) Well, Kwame keeps saying he wants an ipod. Yep, my little guy wants an ipod! I almost spit out my coffee when he said it. We keep trying to lower the expectations for him, telling him that he is too young or too little for one, but he keeps showing us with his hands just how tall he is and that he is getting bigger! Haha! It is cute and funny this week, but if you remember me telling you how he holds grudges, I am worried for next week...(there may be a certain sibling that is getting the ipod nano..we'll see....either that or coal!). This might be interesting....

Yum...Groundnut stew!

Today I took Fia and Kwame into the city for my haircut. Yes, there is something wrong with that sentence, but I just wasn't thinking! Anyway...afterwards I took them to a restaurant near Pike Place Market called Pan Africa. It serves mostly Ethiopian dishes I think, but they have a few that are labeled West African. I was so excited that they served some Ghanaian dishes and thought the kids would be excited. Fia kept saying she didn't want Ghana food, but when she ate it, she loved it(except for the onions). We had chicken groundnut stew. This is a common dish in Ghana prepared also with goat. It is a peanut based stew with chicken, onions, yams, carrots, and spices. It was served with rice and delish! I am excited to go back for a couple of their other dishes. Good size portions and good prices. For those of you that live near Seattle or are visiting soon, it also looks like there is another restaurant that just opened near the Key Arena. It is called KwaTays's and I think this could be a great meeting place for all of us adoptive parents in the Pacific Northwest one day! Anyone want to take a field trip?? Let me know if you ever come this way and want to meet up. Or...if you have never had Ghanaian food and are interested in trying it, I always love an excuse to get into the city.

St. Lucia Day!! (and a preschool Christmas song)

Today is probably the day of the year that Greta looks forward to most in our home. Swedish tradition has it that the oldest daughter in the home wakes up before anyone else and serves pastries(we do pepparkakor cookies) and coffee to those that are sleeping. It is a tradition that Sweden has celebrated for many years, but they have actually adopted it from the Italians.

In order to help our 9 yr. old out(in case you're wondering), the coffee is set up to brew for her in the morning and after she gets dressed in her Lucia gown and crown of (battery operated) candles, she wakes her siblings up to join the Lucia train, and eventually ends in Mom and Dad's room. I think it is one of the BEST traditions ever!!

This year we decided to surprise a few friends and family before the sun was fully up and deliever cookies to them to. Our rule of thumb was that if the lights weren't on, we wouldn't wake them(I didn't want any friends mad). So, a few of you got passed by and I think we only broke the rule at one house because Ella said, "I know she is awake, she wakes up at like 6am everyday!" Don't worry, we didn't get to most homes til close to 8!

Later in the morning we headed out to the church where Fia goes to preschool for their Christmas program. The preschool sang a song for us and Kwame got to join in too! They both thought it was so much fun to stand on the stage and sing out for all the parents -what joy kids have! I love it!

P.S. Happy Birthday Aunt Ingrid!