Lisa and Shawn's Ethiopian Journey

Summer 2010

2010-07-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

It's been 2 years since our referral. June 26th was the exact date. Bethi and Amanu have definetly been keeping Shawn and I busy. I really don't know what we did before they came into our lives! REALLY!!!

Recently Bethi had surgery on both of her big toes. She had a birth defect that turned her big toes in and under. We had made two trips to Shriner's in St. Louis before the actual procedure was done. It was done 3 weeks ago tomorrow. She has casts on both feet and cannot put any weight at all on them. Tomorrow is when she gets them off. She has counted down every day of the 3 weeks!! The day before she had the surgery we took the kids to the St. Louis Zoo. It was way hot. They had more fun with the water fountains than the animals!

2010-04-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

We went to St. Louis for Bethi's Dr. appointment regarding her toes. We ate at the Meskerem Restaurant. It was SO good! We ate there last year when we first took Bethi to Shriners Hospital. They have since remodeled. Looks really nice.

We went to the ARCH in St. Louis. The kids had a blast riding the "elevator" to the top.

Who weighs more???

Smile!!

Inside the "elevator".

Amanu calls the ARCH the RAINBOW!!!

In Springfield we met the Hyman family! Brandon, Elisa, Miles, and Baby Marley.

The kiddos

Elisa and Marley

Amanu likes to pretend this is his horse!

Bethi won a door prize! It was gift certificates for Taco Bell.

Math Night at Bethi's school. College students from Pittsburg State University came and played math games!

Showing off her tooth!

Bethi lost her front tooth!!!

Almost a year and a half!

2010-02-13T10:09:00.000-08:00

Amanu refused to let going to the bathroom interfere with his peanut butter! EWWWW!!!
Valentine Tea Party

New baby for Christmas

Amanu giving his big sister Braden her gift.

Bethi giving her big sister Braden her gift.

Amanu LOVES playing with any kind of ball. He wore himself out!

Bethi's Christmas program. Amanu wanted to cheese it up!

The kiddos have been home with us for almost a year and a half! Hard to believe. They are doing so well. Problems we have with them are minor. Such as, Amanu was peeing in my shoes for awhile...he's over that now! He liked his juice sippy cups at night and never slept well. The juice is now gone and he is sleeping much better!!

Bethi likes to argue with her daddy a little too much. She thinks she's the boss of him sometimes. ; )

She loves school and has lots of friends. She really worried me at first because she was clingy with her teacher.She is reading mostly by herself now and enjoys it.

Amanu is so amazingly bright, the things he says amazes us daily! He has such a good memory.

WISH I DID!

2009-09-27T11:57:00.000-07:00

Amanu finally gave up running from his cousin. Ava is 8 months younger, but 3 more pounds than Amanu! So yep, he runs!

Bethi and Amanu both love to play outside!

Don't have the pics yet but as of September 25th Bethi now rides her bike with no training wheels!She is SO proud of herself!

This is at the Magic House in St.Louis. Bethi had to go see an pediatric orthopedic for her toes. She has two bones in her big toes. We are looking at surgery in June of 2010. She doesn't want to miss any school.

Making the BIG bubble was hard!

Fishing at the Magic House. Amanu didn't want to leave!

Back Home

First day of school for Bethi!!She's wearing her Hanna Montanna shirt. Before we got the kids I was the one saying i didn't want our kids into all the "commercialized" clothing like Disney, etc. Guess what? First things she wanted when she got to America!

I LOVE this pic! I was sad! What a lonnnng hall!

This pic was taken on Amanu's 2nd birthday. September 16th

He wasn't feeling to whoopy that day, so no party that day!

More Summer!

2009-07-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

July 19th was Bethi's 5th birthday!!

Amanu enjoyed it too!

She LOVED her cake!

4th of July

Playing in the sprinkler.

Bethi eating her favorite food. Mashed potatoes.

Amanu snuck the rest of the chips and salsa!! He loves it!

Vacationing in Minnesota. they love hotel life.

Mehaber in Minnesota.

Ethiopian dancers

Mall of America

Tight fit!

Rainforest Cafe (overrated!)

Amanu fell asleep drinking Dad's pop.

It will be one year home soon. Amanu has bonded well, loves both of us now and not just Shawn. He fights with his sister, loves to play any kind of ball, and talks alot now! His favorite handy fridge item is cheese slices.he just changed his name for Bethi. He did call her what sounded like "cease" because we called her sissy I guess. He now calls her Bethi correctly. He will bring us a book and say "read me" If he doesn't know where in the house we are, he will holler "where are you?" He is one busy boy! I wouldn't have it any other way.

Bethi has bonded well. She crys alot to get her way. Doesn't always work, but she trys!

She loves to ride her bike and loves to watch cartoons. She loves to rent a video and watch it all by herself in her room.

Recently we had our final post-adoption report. I knew it was coming, just as it had all other post adoption visits. The next day she kept saying how she misses her Ethiopian mom and dad. And especially her older sister. This has been going on for 3 days now. We try to comfort her, but it is so hard to see her hurting.

She is such a sweet little girl. Loves people, and always has a smile. I hope someday her hurt goes away.

Looking forward to Kindergarten!!

Summer Happenings

2009-06-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

Amanu enjoying some of his Grandma's Birthday cake.

Meeting a new cousin named Aiden. Amanu LOVES babies!! He is so gentle with them.
If you're over 2 years old though, watch out! Not so gentle!

The kids enjoying Katy Days Celebration in Parsons, Kansas
Parsons is Shawn's hometown.

Bethi and Amanu love digging in the gravel driveway.

An outdoor summer wedding to attend.
Bethi needed stage time!

Playing at Great Grandma's farm.
Easter was alot of fun for Bethi and Amanu.
Of course Bethi has to spend time with her big sister,Braden.
Braden will be moving in July from Kansas City.She is moving to the Detroit area for her med school clinicals.I'm gonna miss my baby girl :(
(Yes I have TWO baby girls) LOL!

There was a fire...Not our house but Shawn's parent's. It's a gonner. They are safe and in a new home now after 3 months.

We are going to attend an Ethiopian Gathering in Eagan, MN next weekend.
We are really excited to be on our first LONG road trip! 8 plus hours......Yep, we're crazy!
We want to go especially this year since we have been home 9 months now. Bethi has forgotten all of her Amharic language, and not remembering much at all. Hopefully this get together will boost her memory! I hope so.
Anyway...that's how our summer has been so far!

Happenings

2009-03-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

Sooo, Amanu had tubes put in his ears. He is doing really well after having that done. If anyone remembers, he had gunk oozing out of his ears when we picked him up in Ethiopia. So, much better!
He had a trip to urgent care 2 weeks ago after falling out of the rocker. He held his arm close to his side, and was whining all day. Nothing broken. Thank God!! After being wrapped (for a short while) 2 days he was all better!

Braden came to visit and Bethi of course had to have her picture taken with her... Bethi loves her Braden!

Valentine's Day was fun with the kids. Shawn and the kiddos got me an unexpected trinket. It's a really cute charm necklace. You buy whichever charms you want to put inside. Mine have hearts that say MOM, FAMILY, and one that has 2 hearts for the 2 kids.

Last weekend we had a SURPRISE 40th birthday for my little sister. She has been going through alot lately (divorce,house issues,etc.) so we decided she needed cheering up!!

I'm hoping all the court dates go through easily! Congrats Elise and Cindy!! What cuties!!!

Amazing Race

2009-02-16T16:13:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what it is, but the tears have really been flowing lately.

Maybe it's because of one my closest adoption friends recently received their referral.

Maybe it's because we've been home almost 6 months.

Maybe it's because the kiddos have been sick.

But last night we watched Amazing Race. Yes, another season!! We really love watching it.

There we were, all cuddled in for the evening. Bethi and Amanu were having popcicles.

And then it happened! The tears started coming. Shawn was wondering what the heck i did!

I reminded him that last year while watching Amazing Race we waited for our referral. The show even had an Ethiopian brother/sister team on it.

We often made remarks about if our kiddos would grow up to look like the racers!

Bethi thought I was mad because I was crying. I tried to let her know they were happy tears, and sobs, by then. She then tried to act like she was crying too, because she was happy. (kids!)

I finally quit sobbing so as not to warp my daughter

So just a reminder to everyone waiting for their referrals: They do come, and the tears do too. Yep, they'll be around awhile!

2009-02-09T11:06:00.000-08:00

Amanu has some cheeezii faces! So does his dad!!

The kiddos lotioning up after bathtime.

New Kansas City area friends. Amanu LOVED chasing all the girls around the restaurant!!

They are HELPING me fold clothes!

One of his favorite chairs.

Woo Hoo!! Pictures!!!

2009-02-08T11:43:00.001-08:00

This is Amanu, Bethi, and my new grand niece, Alaina.

NO COMPUTER....NO PICS...

2009-01-20T11:18:00.000-08:00

Yep! NO pics!! I will be really glad when i get another computer! Meanwhile Shawn says the kids are enjoying my undivided attention! I guess he thinks I was on the computer ALL DAY!!
Well, I have to check on everyone to see how the adoptions are going.....

The kids are doing really well. Bethi now will go to sleep in her own bed without crying.
Amanu has to be rocked to sleep. (our fault)

Amanu is getting tubes in his ears tomorrow. Poor little guy has had ear infections since we first met him at HOH with the ooze coming out of them. I hate to have him go under anesthetic.
The whole staff at the specialists office thinks I'm a little overprotective! Oh well!
We have to be at the surgical center at 7 am with no bottle after midnight tonight. He loves his bottle, so that part ought to be good.....UGGH!
Amanu talks alot and very well for not being able to hear very well.
He loves talking. His favorite things right now are, The itsy bitsy spider, This is the church this is the steeple. He wants to do this over and over. He'll say "more, more".

Bethi is loving everything it seems. Cooking with mommy, and playing basketball with daddy are her favorites.
She's really good with her little brother too. Poor girl has to give in all the time so he doesn't scream.
We love to hear her say her name. Bethi Shaye Harrigan. It almost SOUNDS Irish when she says it! She is so cute. She doesn't speak Amharic much at all anymore. I really miss it.
Water is the only word she says in her native language on a daily basis. She doesn't speak to much about Ethiopia. I wish she would talk more about it now that i can understand her.
We started using Bioinfusion olive oil lotion on her hair. It really does seem to give her the little curls i love on her.

I hope to get pics on soon. They have both grown so much! They are such cuties.
Hope everyone is doing great!!

Can you believe it???

2008-09-28T15:27:00.000-07:00

They both LOVE their daddy!!!

Holding his babies is Shawn's favorite thing to do. It even beats playing basketball on most days. Bethi knows if she cries, her daddy will stay home instead of going to join his basketball friends. I think I'm finally getting him convinced that she's fine once he leaves!! Hmmmm.....can you say "SPOILED"???
Mommy has her figured out!!! Her crying doesn't work on me! LOL! The next book we buy is going to be THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF!!! She can turn her tears on and off at the drop of a hat! Other than that, Bethi is a pretty good little girl. She loves to play with her dolls and stuffed animals. She loves to look in the mirrors and practice crying faces! She loves her clothes! And she eats ALMOST all kinds of foods I cook. Just some alot more than others. Tonight we had porkchops and I thought she was going to eat the bone too! We gave her another pork chop instead. Afterward, she pranced around showing off her "fat" belly! Size 4 slim!!! Bethi is learning English really well. She uses language at funny times too. She hit her head on Shawn's chest pretty hard. She popped up and said "I'mmmm OKeyy"......
We always tell her good job when she says something correctly or does something good. She had a Dora the Explorer paddle ball, showing it to Amanu. I pointed at the paddle and told Amanu, "Dora!" Bethi said " good job mommy!"
Amanu is such a sweet baby. He is no longer just a daddy's boy!
Sometimes he reaches out for me when Shawn has him. He has battled alot of sickness. In Ethiopia, and continued here at home. He is finally acting like a baby that feels well!
He pulls himself up, but doesn't walk around holding onto furniture. His little bitty legs....
He turned one year old September 16th. He is much smaller than a one year old. He now weighs 18 pounds. That means he has put on 2 more pounds since being home.
He really doesn't know HOW to play with toys. What he does like, is the doggie toys. He know Sophie our Miniature Schnauzer, will play keep away with him if he has her toy. Amanu sometimes trys to grab the furry porcupine, but accidently pulls on Sophie's schnauzer mustache. Sophie is pretty good with him and even lets him plop down on her for a pillow. I think she realizes that's where all of her extra food comes from!! Smart dog.
Bethi doesn't like the dog, and the feeling is a mutual one. Maybe someday. (when Bethi quits kicking her)
Amanu likes to be in his walker sometimes. He can really get into alot more when he's in it. I had a table runner with a plant on it. I heard a crash......Amanu has now taught me not to use a tablerunner!!! I did go grab the camera!
I think Amanu's hair is finally growing, Bethi's hair is HARD to take care of! I would hate to think of doing two girls hair each day! Good thing a boy can go to the barber!! Shawn has been back to work for 2 weeks now, and met a new coworker when he got back. She is African American, and is going to come braid Bethi's hair!! Yayyy!! She said we can leave braids in for 2 weeks. So I am happy! What wonderful timing!
Speaking of Shawn and work..... When he comes home from work at night the kids are so glad to see him! (tired of mom) Amanu gets SO excited when his daddy comes home!! I definetley need to get a video camera! Amanu's little face looks like it's like Christmas morning!!! It's so cute!

WOW! Time is flying by! Two Kiddos are keeping us really busy!!
To top it off, as I'm writing this Amanuel has really found out he can scream for no reason!!

A few pictures

2008-09-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

These are random pics of our first few days in Addis.
Shawn was definetly learning to change diapers. Bethi loved smiling for the camera! CHI friends Kate and Nathan, with their new baby girl. Lots of city pictures.

We flew EMIRATES AIRLINE. They were wonderful. On the way to Ethiopia we had a stayover in Dubai for the one evening. It was kind of nice because we were rested and fed before our meeting with the kiddos. Nothing like a shower at 3:30 in the morning!! We couldn't sleep!!

2008-09-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

This is our meeting for the first time!! We didn't know it was about to happen! Amanuel is a daddy's boy! I plan to change that soon!! He was sick with upper respitory and ear infection when we arrived. Luckily I had taken an antibiotic for him and Bethi, just in case. His poor little ears were draining. his chest rattling, and fever and snotty nose. Bethi seemed pretty healthy.
Amanuel was handed to Shawn, and Bethi jumped right into my arms. Definetly love at first hug for Shawn and I.
Not to say everything is sunshine and butterflies!!! With a sick baby and a giggly little girl that likes to try her limits, and her parents patience, it has been just this. Fun, exciting, happy, sad, exhausting, exhilerating, stressful, and an amazing journey.
We love our little ones so much!
Foods are not a big problem. Sometimes Bethi won't try something new. Once she finds out we don't care if she trys it, she will eat it.
Amanuel will let us feed him pretty much anything. Mashed potatoes, which Bethi wouldn't try, he LOVES!

I shouldn't complain about not trying foods. We stayed at the HOH. I really don't like to try new foods either. Since we stayed there, I did try more foods than i ever had before.
My tummy did not agree with some things i ate, or i just got a bug from Amanuel. Amanuel and I both were pretty icky at out tummy's for a day or two.
One of my really awful days, Shawn learned how to take care of two kiddos on his own. He was wore out. He did so well though!! I really was proud of my hubby!
Amanuel did learn to like me a little bit better after Kate and Nathan loaned me their Ergo for a day. It was enough time to at least let me hold him later a few times around his daddy. (thanks guys!)
I am rattling on in no order, but just wanted to post and say hi to everyone!! Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers!

(sorry for this pic Shawn!)

EMAIL FROM LISA!!!! FINALLY

2008-08-31T09:03:00.000-07:00

Hey Stuck in Cincinattie. Borrowing hotel computer. Did not have a way to email in ET. That bummed me out. About had to kill someone to get 10 minutes of cell phone time!!! It was a good trip, "cause I got to meet and keep my kiddos. I am SO in love with them!!!! Amanuel is a daddy's boy!! Seriously!!! I guess they say they are supposed to be in ET from what we were told. Bethi loves us both! But really , she's a mommy's girl. She definatly is onery!! In a smart way. I'll have to ecplain more on that later. They are both tineir than we thought they would be. Amanuel was sick with upper respitory and an ear infection. Luckily we took and antibiotic with us. Bethi hasn't been sick. Amanuel REALLy scared us. Because he got to where he wouldn't eat or drink. I KNEW I wouldn't take him to a ET hospital. The cook at the HOH tried her own remedies (or wanted to try) as did others there.

Okay I have been typing with a sweet sleeping baby over my shoulder at the Marriot in Cincinati, so need to go check on kiddo in pool with daddy.. I was trying to explian to Bethi that this insn't our home, becuase we have been doin the "so many nights sleeps" till home.. Hmmm. I do need room service everyday.. It has been hard, rough, amazing, sickening, be we made it back to US anyway!! Thank God!!!

(Sorry about any typos, I am writing this in a hurry, but know as you, many of us have been so eager to hear from Lisa!!!!!! Thank you Lisa! Can't wait to hear more! Elise)

We're off to get our babies!!!!

2008-08-22T06:50:00.000-07:00

Our baby Amanuel!! Ahhh!

Our precious daughter, Bethelhem! My last day of work was the 22nd of August. My wonderful bosses bought the kiddos a ton of toys. A bike for Bethi, a walker and riding/pushing lion for Amanuel. Plus LOTS of other smaller toys. It really was wonderful!Then Shawn came home from work Wednesday, and they had a shower for him! I thought that was so cute!! They had champagne and glasses for Shawn and I,
gift cards for Chucky Cheese, Applebees, and Video store! Disney blankets for both kids, stuffed monkey and lion, and a beautiful Enesco lamp. How wonderful we are to have such great workplaces!

While we are in Ethiopia, my friend Elise will "co-post" for me!!(thanks Elise!)

Shawn and I are trying to fit everything in the suitcases, but the weight has to be 50#'s or less! That isn't working for us! Remember, we are bringing home two little ones! We need clothes for both of them, and of course a few toys. We don't know for sure what sizes our kiddos are,so we have to take more clothes than we really will need.We are also taking toys, and other donations for House of Hope.
Luckily I have been talking to another CHI couple that will be traveling with us. Kate and Nathan will be traveling to their 10 month old baby girl!
We are all excited and nervous!It is so funny that another person is having the same feelings about the same thing. It is so weird that after all the paperwork, all the wanting, wishing, praying,crying,praying some more,that it is finally TIME!!!!
Goosebumps for sure! And this last 2 weeks have flown by,and seems i don't have anything done, yet it is. Just little things going through my mind!
Thanks everyone for helping me through to this point!XXOO

Here's how things are going, plus i HAD to get a new haircut!!

2008-08-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

This is how life has been lately...
There is a picture of me with the little photo albums that were taken to our babies.(Thanks Brooke)
A picture of our new rocking chair! Gotta rock the babies!!!
Sophie the wonderdog, is in one of the pictures. She knows we are preparing for something....she is being so good, she even started sleeping on the rug at the foot of our bed.Sometimes she'll sneak back in bed with us. The kids room she notices, have went through alot of change. She checks everything out.
We leave the 23rd! I can't believe it!!! We are flying out with at least one other CHI family. I have been emailing back and forth with Kate.We are both ready to get our kiddos. We will be spending Saturday night in Dubai. I hope the airport hotel isn't to bad. When we wake up we will get to see our little ones, in about 5 hours!! I can' wait, i am so excited! I am having a hard time packing! Hard time sleeping.
I do not like our travel agency!! No help at all. They act like they have never done this before. Yet, they are a popular agency! Uggh!
Friday is my last day of work. I am going to miss all the people!Boss,(best friend) Coworkers
(i now love our blondie) and the people we insure are mostly wonderful people. So many have made me tear up this week, they tell me I can't leave,or I have to bring the kids to their house. I got a big hug from one of our guys today, and i think one of my ribs moved!
Anyway,I should be able to get everything finished with the week before, off work.
Big change is, I was growing my hair out so i could have it in a ponytail in Ethiopia. I really got sick of it! I got 8inches cut off! The stylist said 2 more inches, and i could have donated to Locks of Love. Let me know what ya think! Shawn loves it!
If i figure out how to blog from ET i will!!! Thanks everyone!!

We're getting ready to go!!!

2008-08-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

I LOVE MY BABIES!!!
We are trying to pack all that we can! Yep, we're fighting over space in suitcases and duffel bags!! We are taking clothes,toys,and even a toaster for the HOH and orphanage!! And did i mention toys? LOL!It's summer clearance time!!!WOO HOO!
I had 2 baskets full at Walgreens this morning. Now i have to see how we are going to organize and FIT everything!Shawn is a LITTLE upset because we have so much stuff.He says "we need to get stuff going, and you just keep buying more!"
He says, that's what upsets him. But me? I can't pass up toy bargains that we can take to Ethiopia!
We leave 2 weeks from today! EEEKKKK!!
I always imagined we would fly Ethiopian Air.This is a very busy time, so tickets when available,are VERY expensive. So,we are going to be on Emirates.Still expensive, but the dates are good! We will leave Kansas City flying to JFK, then hopping on the Emirates to Dubai. Long flight.
We have to spend the first night in Dubai,then leave the next morning for the short jaunt to Addis Ababa!
We just found out we will have another CHI couple on the trip, same itinerary.
Hey,K&N!!!!
Also just met via phone another nearby couple that are adopting from Ethiopia!!
She loves to talk adoption, like i do! Imagine that!!I think we will become quick friends. (Hey Jessie!!)She is waiting for their referral.
I have wonderful updated pictures!!! You can see Amanuel holding(crumpling)the picture of our house. Bethelhem looks mellow in one picture...ready to GO in the next!
Shawn and I are SO excited about our upcoming travel! Don't know where we are going to stay now, we just heard recent news from another adoption agency(IAN)that Hilton, Sheraton, and Ghion doesn't want adoptive parents staying there with their children!
If anyone else has heard this,or anything about it, let me know please!

Stay tuned for our travel adventure!! Shawn and I are BOTH bad navigators!!

Wait....one more thing!!!!! CHI hasn't had any referrals for over a month! Tsegay, the in country coordinator, will be in the U.S. for 2 weeks beginning August 29th.

My theory is he will be making referral calls while in the U.S. I hope so!! I have lots of friends that have been waiting a long time! YOO HOO, COME ON REFERRALS!

Finally.....

2008-08-05T14:20:00.001-07:00

Our babies, we can't wait to bring them home!
It's funny how we love them so much, already!

BRING ON THE TISSUE!!

2008-08-01T07:15:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Christian the Lion - the full story (in HQ)

Update

2008-07-24T09:31:00.001-07:00

Thought I'd let everyone know that our court date is August 4th.
Hopefully all will go well!! We have a tentative travel date of August 29th.
I can't wait to go get my babies!! Can't wait to show off their pictures!
I have been shopping like crazy!!!These kiddos won't have a bare butt!! LOL!!
My kiddos recieved their package with photo albums and blankie & beanie bear.
I was lucky enough to have one of our CHI traveling families deliver to our kiddos.
(Thanks Brooke!)
I even recieved pictures of them with their loot!(thanks CHI!)
I am so happy we get to have our babies soon! I am now anxious for all my friends that are "waiting" to get their referrals!!!

PICTURES

2008-07-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

<This is at the drive-in theatre,the weekend before our referral!
See what can happen at the drive-ins??

And these are the upclose and personal pics of us looking at the referral pic for the first time! Wouldn't you know we'd get "THE CALL" on a bad hair day!?

This is the Fourth of July!! Shawn is still a big kid!My nephew Chance and his cousin, Carlos!

My beautiful daughter, Braden!

She came over and enjoyed the fireworks with us. She has Macee, her furbaby with her.

This past Sunday was a small family reunion for Shawn's family. It was also his grandma's birthday! She is in her 80's, and acts so young for her age!

I almost posted pictures of me holding up my kiddos packages that are beeing taken to them. Then, i realized their picture was on them!
OOOOPS! That was close!!

Popcorn et portable : c'est une vidéo virale CardoSystems !

2008-07-06T20:37:00.001-07:00

FOR REAL!!!

Pop corn et téléphone : c'est une pub

2008-07-06T20:35:00.001-07:00

I really want to try this!

Pop corn with cell phones : made by Cardo Systems

2008-07-06T20:34:00.001-07:00

This is scary!!!

THANKS FOR ALL THE CONGRATS, BLOGGY FRIENDS!!!

2008-07-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

Thank-you
Dansk (Danish)
n. - tak

Nederlands (Dutch)
bedankje

Français (French)
n. - merci

Deutsch (German)
n. - Dankeschön

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ευχαριστία
int. - σ' ευχαριστώ

Italiano (Italian)
ringraziamento

Português (Portuguese)
n. - forma de agradecimento
int. - Obrigado!

Русский (Russian)
благодарственное письмо, благодарственный жест (за что-л.)

Español (Spanish)
n. - gracias

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - tack
int. - tack!

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
谢谢你

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 謝謝你

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 감사의 말

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 感謝の
n. - 感謝のことば

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) شكرا لك‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮תודה‬

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY....AHMEHSEHGUHNAHLO (AMHARIC)

DID ANYBODY HEAR ME SCREAM??

2008-06-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

YES,IT HAPPENED!!!!
I am still in shock!!!But SOOOO in LOVE!!!
We have a little girl that is 3 1/2 years old,and a little boy that is 9 months old!!
They are so cute!!OK, he's handsomly cute, and she's beautiful!!
As everyone knows,my wait time was not one that i liked,or enjoyed! I don't mind it all now,because I know these were the two kiddos meant for Shawn and I!
Here is how the day went....

My new co-worker went to lunch early.We don't close the office during lunch hour.
I like a late lunch at 1pm so she gets the 12 noon.At 12:30 she was back at her desk,and so i was contemplating going to lunch early.Then i thought,no it's better to go at 1pm so the rest of my day goes by faster!Am I glad i didn't go to lunch early.
Like i said my co-worker is NEW! This is her 2nd week there.Our main boss has been out of the office for awhile.(read a previous blog about her son):(
New girl is 22,fresh out of college,with a business degree!!But does anyone like blond jokes!! Don't get me wrong! She is really sweet,but YOUNG!!She is QUICK to answer the phone!!! Way quick!!By the way,she's also blond and a size 0!(gotta love her!)Her and i were the only one's in the office.The phone rings....
New girl:Farm Bureau,may i help you?.... May i ask who's calling?
I'm thinking,there is only me and her here. Wonder who wants me?
New girl:It's Hope International,or something like that.
I'm thinking,something like that????
I pick up the phone.
Me: This is Lisa
(not word for word,cause i went kind of numb.Shawn is trying to help,but he was flying high)
Toni:Lisa this is Toni.I have some news for you.
Me:SCREAM!!!!!!!!LOUD!!!!!!!!!!I mean,REALLY LOUD!!!!
Toni:I think we need to get Shawn on his phone,OK?
Me:Yes!kind of laughing nervously!
So while i'm on hold- I am emailing Amanda!!I'm writing things like-I'm on the phone with Toni!!Next email-AMANDA!!!!!
Finally she answers while i'm still waiting on the phone.She replies,"what,what,is this it?" or something like that.
Then-
Toni:Are you both on the phone?
Me&Shawn:yes....
Toni then goes on to tell us all about our little ones.YAYYYYYY!!!!!!
She said i had to wait for Shawn to get with me, before i could look at the email.
He was only 9 minutes away.I was good and didn't peek!He didn't get there quick enough for me,so i called him to tell him to hurry!!Meanwhile i called Colleen,and Amanda to tell them.
I went to a back office to pull up yahoo email in there,for some privacy.
I heard Shawn come in,and new girl told him i was in back. He kissed me right away,and we told each other how we couldn't believe how lucky we were!
We chatted a bit,pulled up pictures and fell in love!!
It was weird when i read an email from someone later,i was like,oh who got a 3 1/2 year old???Geesh! It was me!
I really hope we can make it through court before they close!!! I don't want to be away from them anylonger than i have to be.

POSITIVE THOUGHTS!
POSITIVE THOUGHTS!
POSITIVE THOUGHTS!

ERICA TURNED 30 LAST WEEK, I TURNED 30 THIS WEEK!!!

2008-06-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

> The only difference is...I turned 30 *WEEKS* waiting for our referral!There were 6 children referred this week to four families.There was a sibling group OF 3!!Congrats to all on your referrals!!
This brings us a little closer to our referral! I HOPE!!I can't wait to get the call!! For real!!

I'm a Great Aunt!

2008-06-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

This is good practice!
My Niece Brianna gave birth to Ava Renee on Saturday the 14th.She weighed 7#2oz.She's a cutie! Great Uncle Shawn(tee hee)is pretty surprised at how little she is.

My parents are great grandparents now!
<

PLEASE PRAY!

2008-06-11T19:58:00.000-07:00

To all my bloggy buddies: My boss,who is also my very close friend,has a 17 year old son that was in a horrible truck accident.I used to pick Brandon up from grade school and bring him back to work for his mom.He hit a bridge early this morning head on.He was life flighted after initial treatment of getting blood out of his chest cavity,then had surgery after they reached the trauma hospital.He never has regained conciousness,has swelling around? his brain,and is having brain damage type seizures.They are having to do surgery on his broken femur and some other leg bones.They need to go ahead and do this because of sometype of something(chemical) that a broken bone releases, that's not good for you.The Neurology Surgeon says it's a wait and see right now.I know this is every mothers nightmare.
Please pray for Brandon and his mom,Amy.

Thanks,
Lisa

WEEKEND FUN AND NOT SO FUN

2008-06-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Kansas City to the CHI annual picnic.The special guest star was Ryelynn!!! Stacie,Zach,and Ryelynn had perfect timing as they traveled to KC to visit Stacie's sister.Ryelynn was of course,beautiful!She doesn't get tired of the swing!!Her son Zach is really sweet! He has the most gorgeous eyes!Stacie had brought picture albums of their trip. It was amazing.Even more real than seeing the pics on the computer.On the way home,Shawn just kept saying how AWESOME this and that was,about what Stacie had shared about her trip, and Ryelynn.
Shawn had the camera,so he really only took pics of Ryelynn!Imagine that!!Anyway it was great getting to meet Stacie and kiddos.Shawn does NOT take good pictures!!
After the picnic (which we didn't eat)We went to my favorite BBQ place in KC,Arthur Bryants.Then we walked aroound Legends Mall, stopped at Shawn's favorite place,Chipotles and got food to take home!I Love Legends Mall!
Sunday:
Shawn always plays basketball,usually at the YMCA.Always on Sunday's at 2:30.
I was taking a nap about 3:00 when i heard thudding noises!! It was Shawn walking!!He had landed on his ankle wrong. The same ankle that has screws and plates in it. It was swollen big time. So off we go to the ER.It wasn't broke just a sprain...so he got wrapped and a gel splint.I guess I'll see Shawn around more since he can't play ball for awhile! Poor guy!!<

No news of any referrals.....I give up making it before court closure.
(The way i REALLY feel about it????) WAHHH!!!

Things goin' on......hmmmm

2008-05-30T16:09:00.001-07:00

<

Thursday was my nephew Chance's 12th birthday!!We celebrated it at Chicken Mary's!Pittsburg,KS is known for it's famous fried chicken restaurants.Anyway... hard to
believe that Chance started out so small. 3 pounds and looked like a little wet rat!!!(sorry Chance!)He is the sweetest, onery, kid ever.I love him to pieces!He knew Shawn before Shawn and I got married, since his mom and Shawn worked together.When Shawn and i got married, you never saw a kid so happy,to have someone become his uncle!!Maybe it's because they are both basketball fanatics?? 4 years ago when Shawn and i started dating, and Chance was 8, he would ask his mom if Shawn could come spend the night!! It was hilarious!!Shawn loves to play all the kid videos and games,so i guess he was alot of fun!!
(I think he's alot of fun too!) ;)
This week there have been no referrals! We are still waiting for our referral of siblings.Our request, for those that don't know,or don't remember....is 0 to 12 months, and 0 to 4 years. With at least one being a girl.Shawn wants a daddy's little girl!It is so far, a 25 week wait for us.I'm more than ready,and with the Ethiopian court closing looming overhead, I would REALLY love to have our referral soon!!(wouldn't we all!)I can't believe that Annie leaves for Ethiopia Monday, to meet her precious Maya!! I am so happy for her!
In other family news...My son graduated from med school,and my daughter is officially a "second year" med student.
This will be the only summer,for the next forever, that my daughter will have off.She was taking advantage of it by visiting family and friends back here at home this week.I'm sad that she went back to KC today.(I Love you Braden!)At least she's not too far away!
I am SO looking forward to the Kansas City CHI picnic next weekend!!The Forsberg family might make the trip!!! I am so excited to meet them all!Ryelynn is their daughter from Ethiopia. She is a cutie!!
Was i a little type happy today?? Hopefully next time we will have some referral news!!!

FORKS, I LOVE THIS!

2008-05-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

Keep Your Fork

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things 'in order,' she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.

She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.

Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

'There's one more thing,' she said excitedly.

'What's that?' came the Pastor's reply.

'This is very important,' the young woman continued. 'I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.'

The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.

That surprises you, doesn't it?' the young woman asked.

'Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request,' said the Pastor.

The young woman explained. 'My grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!'

So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What' s with the fork?' Then I want you to tell them: 'Keep your fork the best is yet to come'

The Pastor's eyes filled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the Pastor heard the question, 'What's with the fork?' And over and over he smiled.

During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. He told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either.

He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

Show your friends how much you care. Remember to always be there for them, even when you need them more. For you never know when it may be their time to 'Keep your fork.'

YEP, AMANDA IS RIGHT!!!

2008-05-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

I'm going batty waiting for our referral!!! Amanda asked...and to be honest this is driving me batty!
Since I haven't anything else to blog about.....

FACTS ABOUT BATS AND AMAZING BAT TRIVIA!

IMPORTANT BAT FACTS...

1) Nearly 1,000 kinds of bats account for almost a quarter of all
mammal species and most are highly beneficial.
2) A single little brown bat can catch 600 mosquitoes in just one
hour.
3) A colony of 150 big brown bats can protect local farmers from
up to 18 million or more rootworms each summer.
4) The 20 million Mexican free-tails from Bracken Cave, Texas,
eat 250 tons of insects nightly.
5) Tropical bats are key elements in rain forest ecosystems, which
rely on them to pollinate flowers and disperse seeds for count-
less trees and shrubs.
6) In the wild, important agricultural plants, from bananas, bread-
fruit and mangoes to cashew, dates and figs rely on bats for polli-
nation and seed dispersal.
7) Tequila is produced from agave plants whose seed production
drops to 1/3,000th of normal without bat pollinators.
8) Desert ecosystems rely on nectar-feeding bats as primary polli-
nators of giant cacti, including the famous organ pipe and saguaro
of Arizona.
9) Bat droppings in caves support whole ecosystems of unique
organisms, including bacteria useful in detoxifying wastes, im-
proving detergents, and producing gasohol and antibiotics.
10) An anticoagulant from vampire bat saliva may soon be used to
treat human heart patients.
11) Contrary to popular misconceptions, bats are not blind, do not
become entangled in human hair, and seldom transmit disease to
other animals or humans.
12) All mammals can contract rabies; however, even the less than
half of 1% of bats that do, normally bite only in self-defense and
pose little threat to people who do not handle them.
13) Bats are exceptionally vulnerable to extinction, in part because
they are the slowest reproducing mammals on earth for their size.
Most produce only one young a year.
14) Nearly 40% of American bat species are in severe decline or al-
ready listed as endangered. Losses are occurring at alarming rates
worldwide.

AMAZING BAT TRIVIA...

1) The world's smallest mammal is the bumblebee bat of Thailand
which weighs less than a penny.
2) Giant flying foxes that live in Indonesia have wingspans of nearly
six feet.
3) The common little brown bat of North America is the world's
longest-lived mammal for its size with life spans exceeding 32
years.
4) Mexican free-tailed bats sometimes fly up to two miles high to
feed or to catch tailwinds that carry them over long distances at
speeds of more than 60 miles per hour.
5) The pallid bat of western North America is immune to the stings
of scorpions and even the seven-inch centipedes upon which it
feeds.
6) Fishing bats have echolocation so sophisticated that they can
detect a minnow's fin as fine as a human hair protruding only two
millimeters above a pond's surface.
7) African heart-nosed bats can hear the footsteps of a beetle
walking on sand from a distance of more than six feet.
8) Red bats, which live in tree foliage throughout most of North
America, can withstand body temperatures as low as 23 degrees
during winter hibernation.
9) Tiny woolly bats of West Africa live in the large webs of colonial
spiders.
10) The Honduran white bat is snow white with a yellow nose and ears.
It cuts large leaves to make "tents" that protect its small colonies
from jungle rains.
11) Frog eating bats identify edible from poisonous frogs by listening
to the mating calls of male frogs. Frogs counter by hiding and
using short, difficult-to-locate calls.
12) Vampire bats adopt orphans and have been known to risk their
lives to share food with less fortunate roost-mates.
13) Male epauleted bats have pouches in their shoulders that contain
large, showy patches of white fur, which they flash during courtship
to attract mates.
14) Mother Mexican free-tailed bats find and nurse their own young,
even in huge colonies where many millions of babies cluster at up
to 500 per square foot.
You can all blame Amanda for this post!! hee hee
Fran and Losiloni.... These are for you!! ;)

More vacation pics

2008-05-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

MINI VACATION

2008-05-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

Shawn and I went on a mini vacation. I definetly needed it!!!! Shawn told me i definetly needed it!So, who am i to not go!!?
We went to the Ozarks, Branson,Missouri!!! I drove 'cause I love to drive! FAST! On hills!!! I scare Shawn!! I scared myself once on the way home!! That's bad!!
We went to Dixie Stampede. It was the best food and entertainment!! When I made reservations,the lady taking my order told me i was "EASY" because if she offered it, I said yes.(better,more expensive seats,boot mug,etc.)I explained to her it was because we've waiting so long for our referral,i needed a get away. She explained that Dixie Stampede would be a good place for us to go because I could scream,holler and vent all i needed, and no one would think anything of it!She was right! The pre show had a juggler on the stage right in front of us. It was fun,and we happened to be the couple that he picked on throughout his act.He let us know we were his favorite couple.
Later we went to the go-carts!!!!! OK, you already know,I LIKE SPEED!!! We met two couples in line that we started chatting with right away. One of the husbands was saying how he too liked speed and doesn't take his foot off the pedal.We both laughed all the way to the waiting go-carts! It was great! I t-boned him, but it was his fault! I laughed so hard the whole time! It was great!

Did lots of shopping!Cool downtown area now, if you've ever been to Branson.
Went to Titanic Museum. Was not especially thrilled with it. $44 for the two of us, and it's not even a guided museum.Not so great.
On the way home we stopped at LAMBERT'S home of the throwed rolls!It's in Springfield,Missouri.It was fun! Not only is it fun to have the rolls thrown at you,
they are really good too!!
So...We are back,ready for another work week. All relaxed......
The pics are random fun we had. :)

My song from hubby!

2008-05-15T15:20:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day & Week 23!!!

2008-05-15T15:08:00.001-07:00

My hubby got me a singing card for Mother's Day!We have the song stuck in our heads now. Good thing i like it!!
And, on the adoption front.....nothin'!! But hey! It's week 23!!!

Week 22

2008-05-08T15:04:00.000-07:00

Today is week 22
Referral guesses are coming in.
May 13th is in the lead.....not just by a nose!! Four people have guessed May 13th!
Who's date is coming in second??????

REFERRAL DATE

2008-05-06T07:42:00.000-07:00

Erica has suggested that we vote on a referral date! So, let's see who can guess the exact date!! Let's go for a time too!! Might as well, since I jump everytime the phone rings!

Sorry

2008-04-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, Since i grossed everyone out with the surgery pics, here are some much prettier pictures!

Thank you for the well wishes for my mom. She's doing pretty good!

Can you tell I'm just W a i t i n g for our referral??? Our dossier went to Ethiopia 12-06-07.

21 weeks tomorrow!

I know it HAS to be coming soon! This last month has made it seem like we have been waiting

F O R E V E R!

Everyone getting their referrals, bringing their little one's home, it is SO exciting!

Several families with CHI are waiting to pass through court. The dates are getting close!

I am so excited for them all!

My Mom's knee

2008-04-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

My mom had to have a knee replacement yesterday. She's been a real trooper for over a year of putting up with a bum knee. Shots did not help anymore, nothing helped anymore.

So....time for a new knee!!! Poor mommy!! She wanted to get it done before we get our kiddos home. She definetly did that! She's doing pretty well for this being the day after surgery.

All i can say is OW!! OW!! OW!! OW!!

MUSICALS

2008-04-24T13:45:00.001-07:00

I Love musicals! The very first BIG one I saw was, MISS SAIGON. It was amazing!! That was a long time ago,but I'm still amazed. While waiting for our referral I've been BELTING OUT in randomnisity(I like it as a word!) lines from musicals! Although I'm sure I frighten hubby QUITE often,he thinks the singing helps me get that pent up feelings of frustration out! SOOOOO....To all my friends that are waiting for a referral,waiting on their I171H,or gathering papers for your dossier....JUST SING!!!!!!

It's RRRUFFF!!!

2008-04-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

Waiting doesn't seem to be fun! Imagine that!I look at the clock, ALOT!!
When the phone rings, you wonder....
When the phone doesn't ring, you wonder...
Pick it up,JUST to make sure the phone is operable!!
Cell Phone...Is it charged??...This is rough!!
When our dossier was complete, I thought,piece of cake! I can wait!That will be the easy part!LOL!!HA HA to myself!
Now 19 weeks down the road,it's more like a piece of sludge than cake!!
At least i'm out of the "Wahhh" stage!!

PICTURES SAY IT ALL

2008-04-10T19:31:00.001-07:00

NO NEWS...

2008-04-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

Children's Hope International just celebrated their one year anniversary for the Ethiopia Program!!! Happy Anniversary!! What a difference they are making for a lot of families!!

Hopefully there will be some referrals coming soon! I know there are some families very anxious to hear their phone ring. Of course us included! Our wait so far has been 17 weeks.

PLAY NIGHT & PIZZA

2008-04-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

(You can see how red my face gets when i get embarrassed.)
Saturday night we went the the Community Theatre.The name of the play was "HONK".
It is a take off of THE UGLY DUCKLING.It was really cute,it had a lot of sexual innuendos like "SHREK",where the kids don't pick up on it.One of my daughters friends played HONK.I have pics of me and him after he became the swan.He was really good.The bad thing is, the HONK!!!stays with you into the evening. Shawn and I kept Honking at each other!Such an annoying sound,I know!We then went to Pizza Hut (woo hoo)Nothing else was open! It was like an old date night!Pretty fun actually!Came home and watched the movie "Fractured"(It's a gotta see) Shawn fell asleep! Somethings never change!

TAGGED!

2008-03-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by a blog buddies.Elise,Brooke,Angie......
Different taggy stuff,so here's a kinda,sorta list thingy!!

1.I'm left handed.
2.I write upsidedown and backwards.
3.I am really shy.
4.When i meet people i turn red.
5.I have 2 grown children.
6.I raised them, not to be shy.
7.They are both in med school.
8.My son hasn't talked to me much at all,since his dad and i divorced.
9.Still trying to figure that one out.
10.When i was little i slept with all my dolls surrounding me.
11.I played with dolls for a long time.
12.I say FOR REAL??? alot!(even when Erica announced her referral!)
13.I have lived in Kansas,Oklahoma,and Missouri.
14.Spent a month in Toronto,Canada.
15.Loved it.
16.Have never traveled to the East Coast.
17.I have bitten my fingernails all of my life.
18.I'm trying to quit because I don't want to have my fingers in my mouth in Ethiopia.
19.After my dad died,I went to 4 different schools during 8th thru 12th grade.(mom remarried)
20.I graduated high school at 17.
21.My 20 year old sister died when i was 18.
22.Got married at 18.
23.Had my son at 19.
24.Had my daughter at 24.
25.Divorced my children's dad,7 years ago.
26.My hubby,Shawn is younger than I am.
27.Shawn has never had kids.
28.I have long feet.
29.All I ever wanted to be was mommy.
30.I watch American Idol.
31.Grey's Anatomy.
32.Survivor.
33.Biggest Loser.
34.I'm very close to my little sister.
35.The only fruits i like are apples and watermelon.
36.I don't like veggies.
37.I mostly like pasta.
38.I love to find bargains.
39.I used to play the violin.
40.I wish I could play the piano.
41.I love milk.
42.I have explained to a lot of people where Ethiopia is.
43.I didn't realize so many people didn't know where Ethiopia is.
44.I wash 2 loads of laundry a day.
45. Shawn is the culprit.
46.He plays basketball 2 times a day at the YMCA.
47.I guess i'm glad i do wash so often.At least he always smells good for me.
48.I have auburn colored hair.
49.When i was little my hair was bright red.
50.I got teased alot for having red hair.
51.I have a ton of shoes.
52.Most of them i don't wear.
53.I have a problem wearing heels.
54.I haven't bought or got a free cell phone in 3 years.
55.It's because i don't want to learn how to use a different one.
56.I don't even like the cell phone i have.
57.I wish i were more organized.
58.Shawn & I chose using money for adoption,over having a bigger nicer home.
59.I'm glad we did.
60.My Grandpa always called me Peaches.
61.I always thought it was funny,since i don't like fruits.Especially peaches.
62.I guess i had hair like peaches when i was born.
63.I'm really bad about getting lost when travelling.
64.Shawn's driving scares me.
65.Mine should as well!
66.I talk to my mom at least once a day.
67.Lately she asks the same question.
68.I know-Anyone waiting for a referral knows what her question is.
69.I get mad at Shawn for leaving 3 pairs of shoes out.
70.I only leave one out.
71.I try to get Shawn to argue with me.
72.It never works.
73.I'm stubborn.
74.I have a weird sense of humor.
75.I love that i'm only writing 75!!
I'm tagging Amanda Z,Tiffany,and Autumn

ADOPTION IN MANY WAYS

2008-03-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

Much of life can never be explained but only witnessed'

A baby hippopotamus that survived the

tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong

bond with a giant male century-old tortoise in an animal

facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said

The hippopotamus, nicknamedOwen a nd weighing about

300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki

River into the Indian Ocean , then forced back to shore

when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on

December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.

'It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a

male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to

be very happy with being a 'mother',' ecologist Paula Kahumbu,

who is in charge of Lafarge Park , told AFP.

'After it was swept away and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized.

It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother

Fortunately , it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond.

They swim, eat and sleep together,' the ecologist added.

'The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it followed its mother.

If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive,

as if protecting its biological mother,' Kahumbu added.

'The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and

by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their

mothers for four years,' he explained.

This is a real story that shows that our differences don't matter

much when we need the comfort of another.

We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures of God,

'Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together.'

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God...

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A LITTLE SUGAR PLEASE!

2008-03-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

Easter candy is on the shelves,and I'm having a hard time staying away from it!!

There are three specific candies I always have to have! They each have their own year that they became dear to me.

1) Russell Stover chocolate covered marshmallow egg-The year my Dad died, I had just turned 12.

Year after year it had always been in my Easter basket. So I buy myself these every Easter.

2) Marshmallow Peeps- my first *boyfriend* brought me a package and I fell in LOVE! (with the peeps)

3) Candy covered malted milk eggs- This one is treasured, because I taught my kids how to lick the egg, and turn it into lipstick. (I still do this sometimes!)

Who else has a special sweet tooth?

FOLLIES

2008-03-12T15:30:00.001-07:00

My daughter is in her first year of Medical School. Her soon-to-be fiance, is in Vet School. Every once in a great while, they get to have a fun evening!
This is as close to Prom as med school gets.
They had a wonderful time!

My Special Something

2008-03-06T14:16:00.000-08:00

I FINALLY got the pic to post!!
Well, I 've tried for 2 hours to put my pics on here. I'm not sure what i did wrong!
Anyway, my special something that Shawn got me, is a Citizen Eco-Drive diamond watch. I had seen one on another blog with crystals. I would have been just as happy with.
Shawn reminded me that with two kiddos coming,this might be MY last really nice thing for myself for awhile!
I graciously accepted it! Woo Hoo I got bling!!!
(you can see it on my shopping day pics, you just can't see the face of it)
I love my hubby!

WEEKEND!!!

2008-03-03T09:05:00.001-08:00

My nephew Chance trying out a Yo-Yo

This is my sister Babette, and her son Chance. This was after 9 hours of shopping!!! I was definetly leaning on my nephew!
OOPS! I can't get this picture off of here!!

What a wonderful weekend! The weather was 70 degrees, it felt amazing!! The wind was blowing, but it seemed to help blow away some of the worry and stress. (due to waiting for referral!) Saturday, Shawn & I went to my nephews basketball games,out to eat, and a little shopping in their town.

Sunday, my sister called and asked if we wanted to got to Joplin, for MORE shopping. I was OK NOT going, but Shawn wanted to eat at Red Lobster. So we went.

I found lots of bargains! If we knew what gender and ages our children would be, I would have bought a ton more clothes! Right now i'm buying,and will donate to HOH what we won't need.

My hubby also got me something special. I had seen something like it on another blog awhile back. I'll post it tomorrow!

Have a wonderful week!!

DNA

2008-02-29T08:18:00.001-08:00

DNA studies map human migration
The pattern of genetic mutations offers evidence that an ancient band of explorers left what is now Ethiopia and went on to colonize most of the world.

By Karen Kaplan Los Angeles Times Staff Writer February 22, 2008

Scrutinizing the DNA of 938 people from 51 distinct populations around the world, geneticists have created a detailed map of how humans spread from their home base in sub-Saharan Africa to populate the farthest reaches of the globe over the last 100,000 years.

The pattern of genetic mutations, to be published today in the journal Science, offers striking evidence that an ancient band of explorers left what is now Ethiopia and -- along with their descendants -- went on to colonize North Africa, the Middle East, Europe, southern and central Asia, Australia and its surrounding islands, the Americas and East Asia.

A second analysis based on some of the same DNA samples corroborated the results. Those findings, published Thursday in the journal Nature, demonstrated that the greater the geographic distance between a population and its African ancestors, the more changes had accumulated in its genes. The story of human migration revealed by DNA "complements what's known through history, linguistics or anthropology," said Jun Li, a University of Michigan human geneticist and lead author of the Science study.

Both research groups relied on DNA from blood samples collected by anthropologists around the world as part of the Human Genome Diversity Project, a controversial effort from the mid-1990s to gather genetic specimens from thousands of populations, including many indigenous tribes. Previous studies have relied on data from the International HapMap Consortium, which cataloged DNA from 269 people of Nigerian, Japanese, Chinese and European descent. "Instead of saying a particular person's genome is from Africa, this kind of data allows us to say which part of Africa they were from," said Andrew Singleton, chief of the molecular genetics section at the National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Md., and senior author of the Nature report.

In both studies, the researchers analyzed more than half a million single-letter changes among the approximately 3 billion As, Cs, Ts and Gs that make up the human genome. Those changes -- called single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs -- begin as random mutations and accumulate over time as they are passed from one generation to the next. Each time a small group left its home territory to found a new population, the migration ultimately led to a unique pattern of SNPs. Comparing those patterns, the researchers were able to show that humans spread around the globe through a series of migrations that originated from a location near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

With the expanded DNA data set, Li and his colleagues were able to make finer distinctions among groups that were previously treated as homogeneous. In Europe, for example, the researchers were able to distinguish between Orcadians from present-day Scotland, the French, Tuscans and northern Italians from what is now Bergamo, Italy. In the Far East, population geneticists had previously surmised that northern and southern Han Chinese were distinct populations and that the Japanese islands were populated by northern Han. "Now we have direct evidence that that's true," Li said. Singleton's group also studied collections of SNPs called haplotypes that tend to be inherited en masse, as well as DNA segments known as copy number variants that appear with different frequencies in different individuals.

By creating a catalog of normal genetic variability among different groups of people, the studies will help medical researchers pinpoint the role of genes in specific diseases, said Singleton, whose lab is part of the National Institutes of Health. A third study, also published in Nature, compared SNPs in 20 European Americans to those in 15 African Americans and found that, on average, a higher proportion of the European American SNPs were likely to be harmful. Overall, the African American genomes had more SNPs, reflecting the fact that they are descended from an older population, said senior author Carlos Bustamante, an assistant professor of biological statistics and computational biology at Cornell University.

By using a computer algorithm, researchers determined that 12% of the SNPs unique to African Americans were "probably damaging," compared with 16% of the SNPs found only in the European Americans. He and his colleagues surmised that the discrepancy could be traced to the relatively small and homogenous group that first inhabited Europe. Any harmful mutations they brought with them would have spread more quickly through the isolated group. Such effects have been observed in European subgroups, such as Ashkenazi Jews and Icelanders, Bustamante said. The results suggest that larger populations could be vulnerable to "founder effects" as well, he said. The studies were funded by the NIH, the National Science Foundation and private foundations.

karen.kaplan@latimes.com

Happy Anniversary!

2008-02-26T07:09:00.000-08:00

Three years ago today I married the most wonderful man.He is the kindest,most caring man I have ever met.
Our first date was a blind date,set up by my sister who worked with Shawn.I really didn't want to go out with him because he was quite a bit younger than me.I gave in,just to shut my sister up. He came to my town, we met at the mall.(Thank God he wasn't the guy with the butt crack goin' on!!) I thought,cute(young)nice,(young)polite,(young).We ate dinner,had good conversation,saw a movie, then I said "thank you, bye!!" It was still light out when we went our separate ways.
I was surprised that he ever called back asking for another date!It just grew from there!!I love him!!

Poor Puppy...

2008-02-22T12:10:00.000-08:00

This morning i took my daughter's puppy,Macee to get spayed.
I kept putting it off because i don't want to be mean...
As you can tell in the pics,Macee doesn't know what she's in for! She even kisses the woman working at the vet clinic.

2008-02-14T09:46:00.000-08:00

TO ALL OF MY BLOGGY FRIENDS:
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Road Trip!!

2008-02-09T20:33:00.000-08:00

It was a great day for a road trip! We drove to Kansas City with it being sunny, and fifty some degrees. It was sooo relaxing.
We met my daughter at the mall. Shopped a little, got Panera Bread bagels(yummy!) to take home, shopped a little more, then said bye to my daughter.

We then went to The Cheesecake Factory, to meet our new friends, John and Amanda.(thanks for joining us!)
They are adopting from Ethiopia, with CHI also. It's great to be making new friends along our journey. I guess we should have taken the camera, to show off the cheesecake!!! Yummy!

There are alot of parents coming and going to Ethiopia this week! I'm so happy for everyone bringing home their little ones!!! Congrats!!

Tagged!

2008-01-29T17:16:00.000-08:00

AHHHHH, I feel really bad.
I was tagged by Chandra, then Misty.
8 things......And then,
I GOT NOTHIN'!!!!!! My mind wandered too much! Or, I thought of a million things, not being able to decide which order they should be in!
Silly me!
Be assured, I read all of your answers!! LOL!
Have a great week!!!

MY BABY GIRL'S BIRTHDAY

2008-01-25T13:03:00.000-08:00

I took Thursday off work and traveled to celebrate my beautiful daughter's birthday.We shopped, we dined out, and I got to meet some of her college friends. The first picture is her and her"baby" Macee. (we are puppy sitting,since she's so busy) The next 2 pics are Sophie and Macee in one of their quiet moments. Usually they are playing, fighting, or us not knowing which they are doing.
Then of course...You have to have cake!!!! You can't tell by the pic but it has icing snowflakes,with white tiny sprinkles. She was definetly a winter baby.

NEW PICS

2008-01-25T13:00:00.000-08:00

YOU KNOW YOU ARE AN ADOPTIVE MOTHER(OR SHOULD BE) IF:

2008-01-22T09:39:00.000-08:00

1.The fact that there are 143 million children without a parent to kiss them goodnight has made you lose sleep.

2.You realize DNA has nothing to do with love and family.

3.You can't watch Adoption Stories on TLC without sobbing.

4.The fact that if 7% of Christians adopted 1 child,there would be no orphans in the world,is convicting to you.

5.You spend free time surfing blogs about families who have experienced the blessing of adoption.

6. It drives you crazy when people ask you about adopted child's "real" parents.

7.You have ever been "pregnant" with your adoptive child longer than it takes an elephant to give birth.(2 years!)

8.You had no idea how you would afford to adopt but stepped out in faith anyway knowing where God calls you He will provide.

9. You have ever taken an airplane ride half way around the world with a child you just met.

10. You believe God's heart is for adoption.

11. You realize that welcoming a child into your heart and family is one of the most important legacy's you could ever leave on this earth.

12. You know what the word Dossier means and you can actually pronounce it!

13. You have welcomed a social worker into the most private parts of your life.

14. You shudder when people say your child is so lucky that you adopted them, knowing full well you are the blessed one to have them in your life.

Author Unknown

Jeopardy Theme Song

2008-01-16T16:00:00.000-08:00

Alot of us, I'm sure, have been hearing this tune in our head lately.
Even my dentist was humming this yesterday afternoon! She says she'll quit asking if we have a referral, yet. Her assistant on the other hand, said she won't! They said after we get our referral, they expect me to run in and let them know. (no appointment needed!) Thanks!
When we get our kiddos,she wants me to bring them in and let them roam. The toychest at the dentist is going to be one of their favorite things. So SHE says!! We'll see!
No news lately of referrals with our agency. Whadda ya think? Anyone ready??

Funny!!

2008-01-11T08:45:00.000-08:00

Ok, I finally have pictures!!! The picture of Shawn and I could not be made any smaller...by ME anyway!! Guess I have to learn more!! Guess I really need to get rid of red eye next time!!

This is our Sophie! She is so sweet. She's 4 years old. She was part of the marriage proposal. Shawn had a ribbon with my engagement ring tied to it. 4 years ago WOW! Sophie has a niece named Macee, that has been staying with her. She looks exactly the same only only alot smaller.....

Since I'm practicing pictures, I'll leave it as is for now!!!

COMMENTS

2008-01-03T20:22:00.000-08:00

Since I don't know how to post pictures yet.....(I'm gonna give it a shot this weekend)!

This is what interests me.

We've all been asked STUPID questions about our adoptions. This link is really full of questions we have been asked, or will be asked sometime soon. And they have some *smart* answers!!
So, to check out some insensitive adoption comments, go to: http://www.perspectivespress.com/hotbuttons.html

YAYYY!!

2007-12-31T16:04:00.001-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2007-12-24T20:08:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

We spent Christmas Eve at Shawn's parents house. 12 grownups, 2 ten year olds, 1 8 yo,1 tween, and 2 little ones almost 1 year old.
It was a blast, chaotic, and we answered at least 6 times,"no we don't have a referral yet."
To all of them the process is slow, to us, it seems like it went pretty fast to be on the referral list.
Everyone is so ready for us to get our little one's. (We are too!!) Tomorrow we will get to answer the question all over again, when we we go to my parents for Christmas.

One of the topics at Shawn's parents house was, Has anyone regifted, and got caught??
So, anyone out there want to fess up? I know you're out there.....

Hoping all have a very Merry Christmas!!
Lisa : )

Dreams

2007-12-20T17:26:00.000-08:00

So, my husband NEVER dreams, that he can remember anyway.....
This morning he told me he had a dream last night!
He dreamt that 2 little girls ages 1 and 3 were flown TO us. He doesn't remember why we didn' t go get them. He said all that could do was cry and cry. I asked him it was because i was SO happy, and he said " i don't know, you wouldn't quit bawling to find out!"

When we finally do get our little ones, I'm sure they will be tears of happiness!

Finally Started a Blog!

2007-12-19T18:12:00.000-08:00

So, we are finally creating a blog, as we wait for our referral! We started our journey in June of 2007 after being accepted with CHI. We are wanting to adopt a sibling group of two little ones!
Our dossier arrived in Ethiopia December 11th 2007.

We are so excited to be at this point in our journey! All of the paperwork for now, is finished.
Yayyyy!!