Merry (Ethiopian) Christmas!

January 7th is the day they celebrate Christmas in Ethiopia. There is much dancing and feasting, but little emphasis on gift-giving. We didn't really dance or feast. Unfortunately, though I had envisioned otherwise, we didn't really celebrate at all. The kids were disappointed that they weren't going to get even more gifts. Nice try, guys. But, I will use this opportunity to tell you about some of the gifts that we have been enjoying from our Christmas celebration.

It was the year of the Snuggie...
Or Sith Lord Robe as the case may be...
Don't ask me how they fell for these glorified airplane blankets with the most cheesy commercials ever, but they did...
I even want a zebra one now. Is it too late for me to change my mind about doing gifts for the Ethiopian Christmas?

Each child had much to be thankful for. A grateful Tate thanks Grandma for Lego Rock Band...
Emmie shows off the hat and scarf Grandma made for her...
And though Jack (correctly) thought he scored big time with his gift from Gunga...
I think he had even greater affection for the ginormous marshmellows he found in his stocking...

Lulu got some fun gifts like Sophie the giraffe...
And a sock monkey Jack in the box that I thought she would love. She did love it, but only when it was closed...
When the cute little sock monkey popped out, she was terrified.

But her favorite thing of all was a plastic cup...

I loved the magazine beads I got from 147 million orphans. I wear them all the time! I also love the shirt Bill got me. It is sooo comfie and so true...
Yeah, so if you want people to read what your shirt says on your blog, you can't take a picture of yourself in the mirror I guess. Or at least I can't. But you can check it out here.

Proving that giving really can be more fun than giving, the best presents this Christmas were ones that we gave. Like this sign we gave Gunga...
And the calendar we made for Grandma...
And the DVD my sister spent endless hours putting together for my mom with pictures we had all gathered of our family through the years. She didn't tell my mom what it was at first. She said it was a movie she found that she thought my mom would love. The picture below is when my mom first realized what the movie was as she saw a picture of my Dad...
If you ever want to know a beautiful love story, they had it.

So, Merry Christmas again (Melkam Ganna) from our family to yours!

Surprise!

My mother-in-law had a big birthday this year and to celebrate we had a surprise party for her. Only it wasn't totally a surprise since someone sent her a card saying that they were sorry they had to miss her celebration. That's not exactly what I had in mind for an RSVP to a surprise party, but no biggie. She actually seemed pretty shocked even with the warning...
Good thing it wasn't a complete surprise, or she might have had a coronary!

She is a wonderful person and an incredible mother-in-law. She loves to praise the Lord, not only that, she lives to praise the Lord. She generous and gracious. She has seen our family at its worst and not uttered a word of judgment. And she has seen my home in complete shambles and rather than giving me a disapproving glance, she just sits down and starts folding laundry.
She folds laundry perfectly, by the way. No matter how hard I try, I cannot get laundry that flat and perfect when I fold it.

She gave me the best gift ever. Her son, this man...
She raised him, as a single Mom I might add. She worked hard to provide for him. And she taught him about Jesus. A few years back, she also left everything she knew and moved across the country to live near us and I am so glad to have her close.

Two of my sisters were there to love on Mary...
And Lulu got a bit of loving too...
Note to self: if you let the kids have the camera, you will end up with pictures like this...
And just when we thought we were all partied out, we celebrated New Year's Eve with our besties, the Butte family...
We rang in the New year in style...
With games...
And kissing...
And some booty-shakin' too...

Happy Birthday, Grandma. Happy New Year. Happy Family...generally.

It's hard to say goodbye

It was a big year for us. A life-changing year. And it was kind of hard to say goodbye.

In 2009, we took our alter egos public as Sonny and Cher.

In 2009, we got a call that changed our lives...
Followed by the surreal moment of seeing this face...
And becoming believers in love at first sight...
In 2009, we went on our last family vacation as a family of 5. There was no pack-n-play and no stroller. That won't happen again for a few years. But there were plenty of treasured memories...

Like chipmunks eating out of our hands. Something that was fun, but also meaningful since Granddaddy used to tell the kids "Chippie the Chipmunk" stories...
In 2009, we survived lice...
Twice! And, as a result, our boys went from shaggy haired...
to clean cut...
In 2009, we traveled to Ethiopia. A country forever part of the fabric of our family. An amazing country filled with beautiful people. And met the most beautiful one of them all, our daughter...

Luci May Rediet Kollar.

In 2009, we became a family of 6...

In 2009, our house started looking like a daycare, my perfume became "Ode de Spit Up", and these rusty parents had to remember how to change diapers, prepare bottles, and swipe mouths for choking hazards...
In 2009, we had the joy of being with friends old...
and new...
In 2009, the tone in our family changed. We don't know if it was the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than ourselves or the magic of Lulu or simply an act of God, but there has been bitterness between our kids that has melted. Believe me, they still fight like crazy. But something is different. Something intangible, but very sweet. Not only are the older three in love with their baby sister. There has been a change in their love for one another. This fact, along with the addition of our dear Lulu, has made the fall of 2009 one of the sweetest times of my life...

In 2009, we also found out about my Mommy's cancer. With it, it brought the "new normal" of chemo and blood counts and all sorts of medical words I never knew before. But it also brought a heightened sense of appreciation. Life is short. And family is precious...
2009 reminded me to love deeply. To embrace whatever adventure God has in store. And to trust Him in the light of joy and the darkness of fear. I have loved the past year. And though I don't know what 2010 will hold, I am stepping into it with expectation that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.