Six Yous

All cooped up

2011-06-26T11:28:00.001-06:00

So...the idea here is that all the chickens live in harmony together in this wonderful coop. Evelyn, however, is way older than the chicks and likes to throw her weight around. After she battled with Sunny D and bloodied his comb and attacked Puff and left her wing and side bloody, I realized that this was not going to work. So I now keep Evelyn separate. She free ranges during the day and at night I lock the Littles in the coop and let Evelyn into the run. She has a temporary box under the coop in which she sleeps. Sunny D is now the one on the roost at night and the hens snuggle together on the floor. I think he is pretty proud of himself!

So now the really entertaining aspect of all this is that the kitty stalks Evelyn practically all day every day. The kitty watches the Littles, too, like a cat watches goldfish. But with Evelyn she can actually have some fun, getting her to flap and squawk and run away.

Evelyn hangs around the run all day, wondering how to get in. We will try it again in a couple months when the Littles are as big as Evelyn.

Coop de ville

2011-06-26T10:39:00.002-06:00

view from kitchen window

view from other side

removable back panel reveals the roost ladder... water and food hang below

nesting boxes - only need one box for every four hens

This just makes me happy...

2011-06-19T10:32:00.000-06:00

Finishing the coop

2011-06-18T15:28:00.030-06:00

Evan and Sam Streeter shingle the roof.

Dave and Uncle Vern join them for the big move from the garage to the yard.

And on goes the roof...

I hate it when I turn out to be a rooster!!

2011-06-14T09:53:00.004-06:00

The kids picked out my birthday chicks, two for me and one for each of them. Turns out that Hannah, Emma and AJ all picked roosters. Willie has been acting like a rooster from day one and has been crowing for couple weeks. Ernie started crowing this week. Sunny D has a handsome red comb on his head and crows... lots! Much as I like these chickens, I only want one rooster. The Billings Backyard Initiative group has the names of people who will adopt "hapless roosters." Due to his charming personality and cute cheek feathers, I decided to keep Sunny D. So today we packed up Willie and Ernie and are taking them to their home in the country. Emma and AJ are smiling bravely for the camera, but naturally they are a little bummed.

Chicken Pox / Chicken Coop

2011-06-05T17:53:00.004-06:00

So, it seems that our family has come down with the chicken pox. Well, Dave and I have it, and so do Emma and Evan. Dave and I had chicken pox as kids, and I had a round of it in '07 along with Hannah and Evan. All 4 kids have been vaccinated. Yet here we are. There is much speculation about whether it is REALLY chicken pox. The doctor thinks so and the pox look and act exactly like chicken pox. No, we haven't all had fevers. And we can't be 100% sure. But the end result is that we are staying home, all of us, together, which is really quite nice. No racing about, just staying home. I'm rather enjoying it!

Dave and Evan are taking advantage of the clear schedule to build the chicken coop!

Day 1

Day 2

The little chicks are looking more and more like little chickens! They each have a unique personality and we could watch them endlessly.

Winnie is huge and we are certain he is a rooster. Sunny D is smaller, but he kind of acts roosterish. Since Hannah picked him out, she will argue vehemently that "he" is a "she." But boy or girl, Sunny has these crazy cheek feathers that stick straight out, so you can't help but crack up if he/she looks at you head-on...

Chicken Coop Plans

2011-05-25T16:42:00.000-06:00

Dave and Evan review their materials list. They plan to build the coop together...as soon as it quits raining!

Best Birthday Present Ever!

2011-05-23T17:11:00.012-06:00

Six weeks ago, on my birthday, the kids and Dave gave me 6 adorable chicks! This is fantastic for several reasons:

they are adorable and fun to play with...
they will grow up to lay eggs if they are fortunate enough to be hens....

and....the fact that Dave gave them to me means that he also intends to build me a coop, requiring little or no begging on my part!!

Allow me to introduce...

April 15 May 30

WILLIE

PIPER

ERNIE

SUEY

PUFF

Sunny D

and then there's EVELYN.

Evelyn belonged to Hannah's horse coach, Amy. Evelyn was Amy's smallest chicken and was being picked on by the other chickens. Amy asked us to take her. She has found a nice place to roost on Dave's bike. She seems to be doing well...she lays an egg every 1-2 days.

Now the big question is...are any of the little chicks roosters? We can't tell yet!! We think maybe Winnie (aka Willie) and maybe Puff. Possibly Ernie and possibly Sunny D. No way on Piper and Suey (formerly Stewie.) Stay tuned!

Cornrows (by Jen...it's my new hobby...)

2011-03-25T16:47:00.004-06:00

Cornrows + extentions (by Lana)

2011-02-25T16:46:00.000-07:00

and that's the TOOTH!

2011-01-25T17:39:00.002-07:00

When AJ was in Ethiopia, we noticed with dismay that in every picture they sent us, AJ was missing one more tooth! Now, in the year he's been home, he hasn't lost ANY! Until today!! In Ethiopia, apparently they take the tooth outside and "trow" it up - I've heard "we trow it on the roof" or "we trow it at the moon." So today's tooth is AJ's first one that the tooth fairy will find. Hope the tooth fairy is on the ball!

Home Sweet Home-School

2010-12-13T17:58:00.004-07:00

I started homeschooling AJ today. He started at Independent School in the fall as a first grader. All summer long I kept talking to him about going to the "big school." He said he'd rather not. I assured him again and again that it would be fine. I met with his teacher soon after school started to make sure he was doing fine and was placed in the right grade. She said he was doing great, learning lots, and making friends. The teachers and kids just loved him.

So what went wrong? He continued to not want to go. He started to become obsessed about the time. Whenever we went somewhere, he'd ask "What time is it?" "What time will we be home?" He'd ask this over and over. The seven hours away from home every schoolday seemed to be taking a toll. In addition, AJ's anxiety about going to school increased. On every school night at bedtime, his stomach was knotted up. Same thing on the way to school. He wouldn't cry or get angry, but would sadly sit in his seat clutching his stomach with a dismayed look on his face. By the time he got out of the car and got in line, he was smiling and talking to the other kids. I began to see that he was coping. Coping very well. Just like he has coped with all the other situations into which he has been thrown. But I don't want him to cope. I want him to thrive. I could see that his feelings of security were wrapped up in being at home. So I began to make arrangements to homeschool him.

AJ is actually very fun to teach. He is internally motivated to do a careful job with his work. The main challenge is getting him going in an activity. Once engaged, he wants to do the job well. We had a good first week. We were at co-op on Monday and at home on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. On my work day, Thursday, AJ went to Grandma's and then to Sue's. As much as he loves both Grandma and Sue, he still wanted to be at home on Thursday. It's going to take a while to get this ship turned around and to re-establish that he is safe, even away from home.

By the chimney with care...

2010-12-10T16:11:00.002-07:00

My dad's older cousin, Marnie, made me a stocking when I was little. I loved it because it was big and could hold lots of treasures! When I married Dave, Marnie made him a stocking. And when Hannah was born, here came her stocking. And then one for Evan, and then Emma. Marnie is in her eighties now. "Hey Dad?" I asked earlier this year, "can you ask Marnie to make AJ a stocking?" And then I waited. And worried. What would I do if no stocking arrived for AJ? I could get one for him that doesn't match. Or switch everyone to new stockings. But I love the retro look of these stockings. And they are nice and big. Sigh.

Lo and behold the new stocking arrived today! I hung it on the hook we put up last year as we waited for AJ. The fireplace looks great with three stockings on each side.

The chairs can wait....

2010-10-02T22:18:00.006-06:00

It occurred to me today that I should take a picture of the playmobil in my room because, after all, it won't be there forever. Like the baby gate that we had across the entrance to the hall when Hannah was a toddler. It felt like I had to step over that gate FOREVER, when in fact it was up for about a year. Dave is less than enthused about the playmobil. After all, the space is supposed to be occupied by a couple of nice, comfy chairs. That was the plan anyway. And someday we will have those chairs. But right now, it's such a great place for the playmobil...AJ and Emma and their friends play with it hour after hour after hour. Our bedroom is in such a handy location, right off the kitchen. So the kids play in there and the mess stays pretty much out of the way. My dresser is home to some kind of enchanted forest. The rocking chair houses animals, and the floor is covered with an interesting assortment of buildings and people. Not exactly designer decor. But the room rings with the joyful sounds of imaginative play. The comfy chairs... will just have to wait.

First Sleepover

2010-07-27T17:31:00.002-06:00

AJs heads over to neighbor Bradley Hand's house for his first sleepover!

My Moses

2010-07-17T13:03:00.006-06:00

Before bed I am reading AJ the story of Moses, again. We don't get much past the beginning of the story because there are the usual 101 questions. This time the questions center around why on earth a mother would place her baby in a basket and float him down a river. Wouldn't that be rather dangerous for the baby? There are crocodiles in the water! What was Jocabed (Moses' mother) thinking? The similarity to our own situation was too difficult to ignore.

"Well," I mused slowly, Jocabed knew that Moses would be better off with the princess. It's not that different than what Mese (bio mom, pronounced Ma-say) did for you. She wanted you to be safe, wanted to make sure someone was taking good care of you. She couldn't do that herself, so she allowed someone else to be your mom. Do you think Jocabed loved Moses?"

He nods, "Oh yeah."

"Mese loved you like that."

AJ's new mom is no princess. But she sure loves him...

First Birthday

2010-06-06T11:05:00.005-06:00

Last October on the day when we became AJs legal parents, we also received word of his official birthdate. In the excitement I think I failed to mention this on the blog. Birthdates given to these Ethiopian kids are almost always estimated. In general, birth records are not kept and birthdays are not celebrated in Ethiopia. So this is AJs first birthday celebration. May 30, 2003 may or may not be the day AJ was born. Once AJ came home, we checked the date out with his doctor and his dentist and decided to keep it. I liked the fact that the birthdate is late in the school year so that I could hold him back. AJ just turned 7, but will start first grade in the fall.

AJ has been watching other people have birthdays since January and he is more than ready for his!! We are celebrating with family at the cabin in Red Lodge.

the hair saga

2010-05-25T22:37:00.008-06:00

OK so the twists that I put in in April pretty much came out overnight. I retwisted them the next day and they looked pretty good for church. It was quite obvious, though, that they were not going to stay in very well, so I took them out. By last week, AJ had such long hair that he had a rather decent bedhead when we woke up each morning! I once again told him we either needed to twist it or cut it. He wanted twists. This time I stopped by Blanco's school of cosmetology. Someone had tipped me off that there was a black gal there learning to do hair. So we got to meet Lana! She was GREAT. Lana gushed over AJ and assured me his hair was long enough to twist. We made an appointment for the next day. It took Lana 45 minutes to twist AJs hair. She used only bees wax to do it. It looked really cool and AJ really liked it! The picture shows the twists from the top of his head.

Lana said the twists would stay in for a week. We weren't supposed to wash it or rinse it at all. He needed to wear a doo-rag or sleep cap at night. After a week I could wash his hair and then retwist it. That was the plan anyway. Well, his doo-rag wouldn't stay on his head all night, of course. The twists started to fray a bit after the first night. I tried to retwist them and thought I did a pretty good job. But fraying continued and by the fourth day he wasn't liking how it looked. In addition, he doesn't really want to grow his hair out (like I do!) Growing the hair out is a big committment, so I think we'll wait til he's on board. We have lots of time! I trimmed his hair yesterday, so we are back to basic (and easy!)

Today he asked "Why?"

2010-05-10T19:56:00.002-06:00

"Why did I switch?" Families. He is asking why he switched families. What the hell is the answer to that question? He had been telling me how he and his mom walked to the orphanage in Soddo. "What did she say to you as you walked?" I ask. "Don't say anything bad about the food," he replies. "Anything else?" GOOD GRIEF!! ANYTHING ELSE? I LOVE YOU?? ANYTHING?...I am screaming in my head. "No, nothing else." Not that he remembers, anyway. "Why?" he wants to know. So I mumble a trite answer - something about I'm sure she wanted what's best for you. AJ then starts telling other stories of times before, times in the orphanages. He picks up playmobile people and acts out his memories. Some of the details are...very difficult to hear. But this is therapy. I am the therapist. I remain calm. I encourage and ask questions. I put him in front of the tv show 'WordWorld' and shut myself in the laundry room before I start to cry...

Popakum

2010-05-06T21:11:00.005-06:00

"Mom! Popakum!!" It is the middle of the night. We are in Ethiopia and it is our first night with AJ. He is sleeping on the bottom bunk right next to our double bed. "Popakum!" It is the first thing he has said to me, clearly needing something. But what? Is he scared? Does his stomach hurt? Thirsty? Has to go to the bathroom? Thankfully the mystery is quickly solved: "Toilet please!" Ok then. Popakum means he needs to use the bathroom. Good to know! Is that Wolaita, his tribal language? Amharic, Ethiopia's national language?

Now here in the States I struggle to recall the word, that first request he made of me. "What's that word you used to say - that meant that you needed to go to the bathroom? It sounded like popa-something," I prod. He shrugs - can't remember. Rats. I make a mental note to ask Kirsten if her girls say this same word so I can write it down. So yesterday AJ is talking about English lessons he had in Addis Ababa. "They teach 'toilet please,' but that is too hard," he says. So they tell us to just say "poop a comin." WHAT!! That was English you were trying to say?? POOP-A-COMIN?? Oh I laughed!!

Twist and shout!!

2010-04-23T19:56:00.006-06:00

Ok so AJ's hair is getting a little long. I last cut it on February 14th. I told him we could either cut it or put twists in it. He recently saw Gabe Davis with his twists...he thinks Gabe is pretty cool, so wanted to give twists a try. It took me an hour and a half. Twists can last 3 weeks. I'm not sure how long they will stay in...but I'm pretty happy with how it looks right now!

Pish!!

2010-04-06T16:05:00.007-06:00

About a month ago, Hannah bought some cute little fish and set them up in her room. Well, then of course everyone else wanted fish. Evan and Emma kind of forgot about it, but not AJ. He wanted pish! (..he mixes up his "f"s and "p"s.)

AJ has been sleeping on our floor ever since Emma went back to her room. So I threw out this carrot, "If you'll sleep in your own bed for a month, I'll buy you some fish." He agreed and we drew a chart on his chalkboard so he could count down 30 days.

Today is fish day! He made it through 30 nights no problem, and was even reluctant to give up his bed when we had guests stay with us for a couple nights.

He no longer says "pish", and as a matter of fact, the rest of his English is coming along at an astonishing rate. We are pretty much now just fine tuning. For example: not "where going Emma?" but "where is Emma?" (We hear this one a lot!)

Now if we can just keep these fish alive....

Not man's best friend!

2010-03-28T12:38:00.000-06:00

"Ethiopia, when dog come...we run!" Dogs in Ethiopia are wild and mean. We did meet some dogs in Addis that were owned, so they were not wild but were still mean! You just don't reach down and pet a dog there, ever! AJ was wary around Nala at first. He loves her now!

Babysitter at age 5

2010-03-23T16:44:00.000-06:00

So we went skiing today. AJ is assigned to a great instructor who has a wonderful balance between being flexible with the kids but also firm. After the lesson she tells me that he is skipping straight to parallel turns. "Which is great," she intones, "but you have GOT to REQUIRE that he slow down and stay in control. Otherwise he IS GOING to hurt himself or someone else." All the way up the mountain I lecture and threaten him within an inch of his life. "If you ski too fast and lose control, ski patrol will pull your ticket. If they don't...I WILL!!" What followed was several runs of the most beautiful, slow, in-control S turns you have ever seen.

While we ride up the lift, AJ has one of those moments where he starts talking about before. "My mom says don't go outside," he says. I ask why his mom wanted him to stay inside. Turns out that his mom would go to work. He doesn't know where she went or what she did while she was gone. During her absence, his job was to look after his little sister. I am estimating that at best, AJ was 5 and Enot was 3 when this was going on. "Don't go outside" was probably the best shot she had at making sure her kids would be ok when she returned.

Before...

2010-03-06T22:19:00.006-07:00

AJ has enough English now to tell us bits of what went on before....before his mom took him to the orphanage at Soddo. He lived in a house with a dirt floor. He shared a bed with his 3 year old half-sister, Enot, and the chickens were kept in their room at night. The chickens pooped all over the place. He ate potatoes. He lived with his mom and "dad." This dad was not his bio dad because we know that dad died in '07. This new dad had a white truck that he would work on. He loved this dad. One day his dad got in his truck and left and did not come back. Just tonight AJ said that "before.." people would die. Someone would put the person in a box and the box would go "down down" into the ground. He says all this very matter-of-factly. Please pray for us as we help him process all he has been through.

Fine day for a ride!

2010-03-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

Does he have an "off" button?

2010-03-01T22:42:00.001-07:00

at the Reef....

at Red Lodge Mountain...

Haircut!!

2010-02-13T16:50:00.004-07:00

So, I decide to have a go at AJ's hair. I sit him down in front of Lazytown and get out the clippers. He grabs them from me and zings off some hair right in the front. Well OK then! Guess we'll cut it pretty short!

Emma and AJ

2010-01-23T19:59:00.004-07:00

AJ took to Emma right away -what's not to love?

Emma is sleeping with AJ in his room for now.

(She is a bit of a blanket hog...)

AJ is SO attached to Emma that we have to be careful that she gets time to herself and time to play with her friends. Precious Emma - what a gift from God.

Bathtime!

2010-01-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

AJ is ALL ABOUT bathtime. I had to take the bar of soap out of there because he takes that thing and SCRUBS himself ALL over. He rubs his face and hair WITH THE BAR. Ugh. I took over hair washing, which we only do once a week so his hair doesn't dry out. I give him a scrubbie with the bodywash on it, but of course keep the bodywash in the cabinet otherwise it would be GONE!

"COLD!"

2010-01-17T18:33:00.001-07:00

AJ learned the word "cold" very quickly! It's been a cold winter with lots of snow...my favorite kind. When we arrive home, AJ is greeted by heavily falling snow and doesn't really enjoy the snow pounding his face. On day one at home, we bundle him up and send him outside to play with the other kids. He loves to sled down the hill in the front yard!

AJ "helps" Dave clear the driveway...
All FOUR of my kids playing in the snow...

On the boats and on the planes....

2010-01-16T22:37:00.000-07:00

...they come into America

AJ watches the activity on the tarmac as we wait to board the plane that will take us to Billings.

Ethiopia Guest Home

2010-01-14T12:23:00.004-07:00

We love the people at our guest house! The staff is amazing and the other two adopting families are a lot of fun. Dave and Theresa (with the baby girl) are from North Dakota and Ronnie and Linda (with the baby boy) are from the Faroe Islands near Denmark. I might be biased, but these two babies are SO CUTE!!

The guard, Afera, sleeps on the porch at night and mans the gate during the day. If it rains, he has a place he crawls into UNDER the porch. He is SO WONDERFUL to AJ! He has talked and played with him for hours and hours.

On the town and at home with Sebsebe

2010-01-14T09:24:00.003-07:00

Sebsebe's two daughters attend MSU Bozeman. We met them through the Wohlfeils, whose daughter also attends MSU. The girls assured us that we should call their dad since we would be in their hometown of Addis Ababa. Sebsebe graciously takes us out for an amazing authentic Ethiopian dinner complete with kitfo with kocho, injera with dorowat and tej.

Later in the week, Sebsebe invites us to his house for dinner where we meet his wife and son. His wife made all the food herself!! It is so delicious!

Meet Sammy

2010-01-13T21:42:00.025-07:00

Sammy grew up in one of the poorest sections of Addis Ababa. You can read his story at http://www.sacredfight.com/post/Korah-e28093-The-Cursed-People-of-Ethiopia.aspx.

Sammy agrees to give us a tour of his community called Korah. This community of 75000 is home to people who are outcasts because of leprosy or hiv/aids. Literally, other Addis citizens we talked to later in the week would barely acknowledge that this community exists.

Sammy gives us a tour of the ALERT hospital where patients can come to receive treatment.

We visit the sheds where women spin cotton into yarn, weave yarn into cloth, and handstitch beautiful designs onto the cloth.

Back outside we walk past a man weaving banana leaves into door mats. This man lost his fingers to leprosy. He has been weaving mats here for 40 years. (Of course we have to buy one of his mats...it's now on our front doorstep.)

We tour Bright Hope School which educates 2200 students from the community. A team from Harvest Church recently came here to build a badly needed wall for the school which will help protect the children and the school grounds. We take a look at the wall - not much progress has been made on it since the team left. We greet some of the students and take some pictures. They always want to see their picture after we take it.

Many of these students have trouble learning because they are not getting enough to eat. The community has one church, Victory Church. This church received a donation of $750 from a woman in N Carolina. With the money, Victory Church was able to build a room to meet in AND provide lunch every day for 65 Bright Hope kids. We happen to be there at lunchtime, so we helped and watched as these 65 kids were served a BIG healthy lunch.

After lunch, the kids walk back over to the school and we tour the home of a woman who attends Victory Church. The 3 small rooms are shared by eight families.

During the rainy season, the water runs right through this home. The people wrap themselves in plastic to stay dry. But these families are happy to have a roof over their heads. The less fortunate actually live at the trash dump. The people wait for the dump truck to come and swarm it as they search for food. Sometimes babies are left here – at the dump.

Sammy has started a program to help kids get out of the dump. For $600 a year, one child will be rescued from the dump and placed in boarding school where he or she will receive food, shelter, education…and hope.

What's in a name?

2010-01-12T22:55:00.003-07:00

We have debated the subject of AJ's name for some time. His given name is Asrat. Well, THAT doesn't translate well! At the guest home one of the men asks me if I know what "Asrat" means. In my head I say "a scurrying rodent?" Outloud I admit, "I have no idea." He ponders for a moment how to explain. "You give one-tenth of your income to the church?" I gasp, "TITHE? 'Asrat' means TITHE?" He laughs at my reaction, "Yes, yes! Tithe!" Well, maybe we can make room for the name after all. While waiting for our embassy appointment it occurs to me that we should name him
Andrew Joseph Asrat Ulrichs.
Andrew- after David Andrew, his daddy.
Joseph - of the Bible who prospered and was faithful to God though he was torn from his homeland at a young age.
Asrat - which means "tithe, a gift to be used in the service of God."
Perfect.

There are no words...

2010-01-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

I have no warning. We are filling out paperwork with 2 other families. Suddenly there he stands, grinning from ear to ear. AJ hugs Dave, Hannah. He hugs me and kisses my cheek, sweet boy. It is surreal. A bit subdued at first, he soon starts to interact with us and the staff. He plays with a couple toys with relish, dismantling one of then to see what is inside (hmm, might get along well with Evan?) Back at the guest house we eat lunch, he plays a rousing game of soccer with the guest house guard, and then we lay him down for a rest. We can't believe he is here. With us. For good.

Impressions of Addis Ababa

2010-01-10T21:28:00.000-07:00

so many people

goats, cows, donkeys on the road

metal huts

scaffolding made of sticks

beautiful flowering trees and bushes

friendly people, big smiles

coffee ceremonies

lovely weather

dogs bark all night

guest house guard sleeps outside

boy on the street wants to go to America, would be in 6th grade, wants my shoes

the people are beautiful, MODEL beautiful

traffic chaos

Goodbye Dubai

2010-01-10T19:33:00.004-07:00

Excited to finally go to Addis Ababa, we head for the airport early in the morning. Unfortunately, the flight is overbooked and there are no seats for us. Essentially, they give us stand-by status. We wait and pray that 3 passengers will not show up on time. Sure enough, as the time of departure nears, they bump 3 people. Not only do we get to go, but we are seated together. Thank you Lord!

Dubai!

2010-01-09T19:05:00.004-07:00

Wow-what an amazing city! Hannah starts her day by exploding out converter trying to straighten her hair. After breakfast, we head to the Dubai mall, a gorgeous mall boasting a waterfall, an aquarium and an ice skating arena. Right outside the mall, standing 2717 feet tall, is the Burj Dubai. Tickets to go up are sold out for the day, so we just take pictures from below. Then we make our way to the beach to enjoy the beautiful 77 degree day. Later we experience the sounds and smells of Dubai at an enormous outdoor market and the sights of Dubai during an evening boatride on "the creek" (river.) We conclude our fun day with a buffet dinner in our hotel's revolving restaurant. (Note to self: when in Dubai, ask the price of the buffet BEFORE eating dinner!!)

Survived the trip over the Atlantic...

2010-01-08T22:39:00.002-07:00

... ok that was a long plane ride. Thanks to Denise for suggesting the travel pillows - those are the best! Emirates is a great airline ... the plane had enough legroom for Dave to be able to lean his head back on the seat (not so on Delta.) Each person gets his / her own screen for watching movies, tv shows and playing games . Cool:) They kept bringing us food. For a 12.5hr plane ride - it wasn't too bad at all. Arriving in Dubai, which is an impressive city starting with the airport, we spun our clocks forward and headed to the hotel and to bed.

2010-01-08T22:29:00.000-07:00

and this is the part where hannah hacks her mothers blog and says yaaaaahhhhooooooooo!!!

We love NYC!!

2010-01-07T19:29:00.004-07:00

Fun day today! We started out with the ultimate New York experience: riding the subway! Hannah was very entertained by the old guy on the subway listening to his ipod and singing loudly to himself. We went to the Museum of Natural History (of "Night at the Museum" fame.) Then we toured the World Trade Center site. We walked down to Battery Park and took a quick look at the Statue of Liberty. Then back uptown to visit Grand Central Station and then for dinner - delicious Rare burgers! We are now at JFK waiting for our 11pm flight to Dubai:)

Showtime!

2010-01-06T14:40:00.003-07:00

For years I have been telling Hannah, "Someday, we will go to New York and we will see 'Phantom' on Broadway." Well, today is that day. Dave is slightly annoyed, having seen it on Broadway before. We considered "Wicked" but ended up going with our longstanding dream to see this show here in New York. ....We'll let him choose the restaurant for dinner :)

Need to pack...

2010-01-03T19:02:00.004-07:00

Just got back from Target where I purchased travel pillows, a converter, extra ear buds, a "Cars" toothbrush, and a small whiteboard. Think I am ready to start packing. So far the only thing in my suitcase is a deflated soccer ball and a hand pump. Better get on it!

Long trip!

2009-12-26T13:55:00.002-07:00

....having a little fun with the map....

Billings--->New York City--->Dubai--->Addis Ababa

Wohlfeils

2009-12-26T10:13:00.002-07:00

I've had inquiries about the Wohlfeils situation. Their boys are still staying at the Shashamene orphanage. Officials want to report the information obtained during a recent audit of the orphanage before allowing kids to move from the facility. This of course is very frustrating for Rodd and Jacque, who passed court November 11th. Please pray that the officials will soon conclude their work and allow the kids to move.

Flight info

2009-12-20T17:50:00.008-07:00

Depart Billings Wed. January 6th at 6:30am

We fly to NYC via SLC and stay 1 night. Late on the 7th we fly to Dubai and stay 2 nights. We leave Dubai on the 10th and fly to Addis Ababa!

Arrive Billings Sat. January 16th at 6:43pm on Delta flight 2983

Embassy

2009-12-15T17:26:00.002-07:00

We have been cleared for travel - REALLY this time - and are scheduled for a January 12th embassy date. We are working on tickets right now. Please pray the Wohlfeils will get the same embassy date...as of today they are still waiting for their kids to be moved to Addis. Hannah is concerned about missing finals week, but we bet her teachers will be willing to work with her so she can go to Africa to pick up her brother!!

AJ received our pictures

2009-12-10T18:25:00.002-07:00

We sent AJ some picures of us so he'd know we really exist! Here AJ is pointing to a picture of his new mommy.

Received our I171H

2009-12-04T17:43:00.002-07:00

...so we are on track for a December 29th embassy date!!

Timetable

2009-12-01T17:43:00.002-07:00

We are hoping for a December 29th embassy date. This would involve leaving just before Christmas and coming home around New Year's. We are still waiting for immigration paperwork to be finalized. Wohlfeils are waiting for their kids to be moved to Addis. Please pray that their kids will be moved soon and that they pass their physicals. I sent AJ pictures this week so he knows we exist and haven't forgotten about him!

Finally have AJs room ready!

2009-11-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

While we wait for immigration to be updated regarding our new address...we put the final touches on AJs room.

Healthy boy!

2009-11-20T08:45:00.004-07:00

AJ is 46 1/2 inches tall and weighs 48 pounds. He passed his embassy physical. Now we are waiting for immigration to receive notice of our new address. We are hoping to travel with Rodd and Jacque Wohlfiel and their two sons. Rod and Jacque have adopted 3 Ethiopian brothers and are also waiting to go pick them up. We think both families will get embassy dates in December. Please keep praying for God to work out the details - esp the problem of sky high airfares during the holidays!

Concert Fundraiser

2009-11-09T20:13:00.012-07:00

Sunday night was our concert fundraiser for Ethiopia Hope. Profits from the concert will benefit Harvest adopting families. It was a high energy night filled with great music from This Beautiful Republic, FM Static, Audio Adrenaline, Thousand Foot Krutch, and Jars of Clay.

Evan loved Thousand Foot Krutch!

Last night , reports trickling in from concert organizers indicated that profits would not be very substantial. While we were digesting this disappointing news, Dave received an email from the CEO of PAI, Dave's employer. It was way too loud in there to talk so he held his phone up so I could read the following:
Too handsome! I don't know what I expected but his eyes hold all the joy and mischief of any boy his age! Having raised three boys of our own...we recognize the sparkle! Congratulations to all of you...and to AJ for deciding to adopt you!
Terri and I would like to cover Hannah's airline ticket. I hope you'll let us. Please tell me how to do so.
John & Terri
OK so I'm not going to lie...at this point I burst into tears!! We are so blessed to have such support and encouragement!! The numbers are not yet in on the concert - but it was a wonderful night!

Kyle meets AJ

2009-11-07T21:24:00.003-07:00

A team from our church is over in Addis right now. Kyle, one of our pastors, met AJ today. The lucky!! Here is the quote from his blog: http://ehworkteam.blogspot.com/

"After touring both childrens homes we headed over to CWA's office to talk about adoptions and how our paperwork was doing for the Harvest families that are in the process of adopting, it was there that we found the info on a future neighbor and soon to be resident of Billings, MT; his name was Asrat. After realizing that he was at the boys home, the one we just visited we quickly made a U-turn and went to find him for a more personal and meaningful greeting. As soon as we entered the gate we received the same warm welcome as before, several young boys ran up to us arms wide open desperately seeking a touch or any form of affection, what else would you expect from the fatherless. We asked the attendant were Asrat was and she informed us that she would get him, moments later a beautiful, bright eyed 6 year old boy popped his head out from the door immediately my heart leapt, it was as if i knew him. I didn't know what to do next so I just waved him to come and he came running with a look of confusion and joy on his face, then Haddush, the CWA coordinator began to tell him that we knew his future parents, as the words sank in you could see Asrats face change from confusion to excitement, he then turned to us and gave each of us a big hug and a very energetic high five, it was awesome! The best part is, he was wearing a cowboy shirt with mountains and horses on it, Asrat will be a great addition to the harvest family and to Montana."

He's all ours!

2009-10-26T14:38:00.003-06:00

Just received word that we passed court!! Still waiting to actually talk to our caseworker to find out what happens next, but I do know this...now I can post his picture - he's my son!!!

Bio mom and AJ together

2009-10-26T10:44:00.003-06:00

We received this beautiful, heart-wrenching photo taken today of AJ sitting happily with his biological mom. So she made it to Addis - that is good news. But our incredible gain is her excrutiating loss and we are feeling so sad for her today. We still are awaiting word from court.

Court date set!!

2009-10-14T12:59:00.002-06:00

Our court date has been set for October 26th!! We received this notice from our case manager this morning: "You will be among the first families to “test” the new system for this year …. So let’s pray that things will be flowing more smoothly after all the trainings conducted over the past months. Because (AJ) does have a living parent, his mother will be required to travel to Addis and appear before the judge in Federal court to give her final consent to his adoption. This can be a daunting trip .. so I would also encourage you to pray for her as she travels. If for some reason she is not able to appear, the hearing will be postponed. Even though the Ministry of Women’s Affairs sends their recommendation to the court, the judge still has the ability to ask for further information if he determines there is a need for it. Last year we averaged about a 50% success rate on the first attempt – so, while we hope to improve those statistics this year with better training on the part of social workers at the orphanages, it is not unusual for a case to be postponed while additional information is gathered." Please be praying for AJ's mom and that everything would unfold according to God's timing!!

AJ moves to Addis

2009-10-12T12:47:00.003-06:00

On October 1st, AJ was moved from Soddo, where he has been since April, to Addis Ababa. This means we are one step closer! The kids are moved to Addis when adoption is imminent. Court in Addis reopens today after a 7 week recess. We hope to be hearing about a court date soon! Meanwhile we have moved out of our house and are living in a condo in downtown Billings. Our new house should be ready in 3 weeks.

The Eagle has landed

2009-08-24T09:11:00.003-06:00

Our dossier has made it safely to its destination in Ethiopia! Courts there are in recess until October. Other couples we know waited about 3 months from dossier submission to court date. And so, we wait.

Dossier at large

2009-08-20T16:42:00.003-06:00

Our dossier is in Dubai today. That's in the Persian Gulf. It's supposed to reach Addis Ababa, Ethiopia tomorrow!

Dossier!

2009-08-04T12:18:00.003-06:00

Well, we left town on July 30th for a 9 day trip. Prior to this, we were waiting for our caseworker to approve the draft dossier. Approval wasn't happening, and I had resigned myself to waiting until after vacation to send off the dossier. We planned to leave shortly after I got off work on Thursday. THEN - right BEFORE work, I received approval and this nice note from Michael, our caseworker: "That's excellent work, thank you for such a nice dossier. Very easy to review!" So I called Kerry in a near panic - and asked if she thought I should scramble, or wait a week. She said "Scramble!" So I lined up my wonderful neighbor Heather to watch for the last dossier document to be sent to our house. When she received it, she handed it off to Kerry and then Kerry carefully packaged up the now complete dossier and shipped it off to DC for authentication! In Kerry's words, "Your baby is in the mail!"

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate...

2009-07-23T20:26:00.003-06:00

Astute followers of this blog might notice that my estimated cost for immunizations is dropping. I started out with a cost of $1200. That would be a reasonable estimate if we were to get all the recommended shots. So I've been researching to find out exactly which shots we have to have. As it turns out, NONE of the shots are REQUIRED for Ethiopia. But of course ALL of the shots are RECOMMENDED by the CDC (Center for Disease Control). Since we will be in the city, we are at a pretty low risk for most infections. It is a good idea, however, to vaccinate against Hepatitis A and B. We also will update our tetanus shots. So I've ordered vaccines through the pharmacy I work for - further dropping my cost. My mom says she'll administer them for us. She still has a syringe/needle from when she used to give my dad allergy shots 30 years ago. "It's glass," she insists. "You sterilize it in boiling water." What the heck - it's cheap!

Helena!

2009-07-20T22:05:00.008-06:00

Today we drove to Helena to be fingerprinted and to have some of our documents authenticated. We met up with another adopting family from Harvest and together we toured the capitol building. We even chatted with Lt Gov John Bollinger! Later we walked around Last Chance Gulch and had lunch on the patio. The weather was gorgeous and we had a great day!

Homestudy is in-hand

2009-07-17T11:00:00.003-06:00

...and we're headed to Helena on Monday to deal with immigration requirements (like fingerprinting)!

Homestudy paperwork completed

2009-07-10T20:02:00.002-06:00

Our homestudy caseworker sent a copy of our homestudy for me to proof today! This almost completes the paperchase for our dossier. Next we go to Helena to work on immigration approval. The homestudy agency is waiting for a copy of their license which expired June 30th. We will need a copy of the license before we go to Helena. Hopefully we'll get it early next week.

Homestudy and a Missing Tooth!

2009-06-18T21:23:00.002-06:00

Our long awaited homestudy is friday afternoon at 1:00. This is probably part 1 of 2 visits. We spiffed up the house tonight and lectured the kids to be on their best behavior!

We have confirmation from CWA that they received our referral acceptance. CWA also sent some new pictures of AJ - he lost a front tooth! I can email the pictures - just let me know if you want to see them! ulrichs@bresnan.net

Trusses, a Buy/Sell, a Name and a Face

2009-06-16T17:34:00.002-06:00

Well, we have trusses on our new house - that's pretty cool. We have a buy/sell on the current house and the buyers are going to let us rent back until Oct 1st! That is a humongous blessing! Best of all, we faxed the referral acceptance today and finally have a face and a name for the little boy who has been in our hearts all this time. We can't post pictures or his name, but we have dubbed him "AJ." I am busily assembling documents for the dossier - ugh!

Referral!!

2009-06-05T14:34:00.003-06:00

We have received notice of a child on the waiting list that we might want to consider. We have been breathlessly poring over pictures. He is 6 years old and man -is he cute! (He is barefoot, and Dave REALLY wants to send him some flip flops.) We will have an MD review his medicals - but so far everything looks like a perfect fit. Please pray that God will give us wisdom and discernment!

a mother's musings

2009-06-02T23:05:00.003-06:00

Mothering: Watching them grow. Take risks. Fail. Succeed. It's like having a part of your heart walking around outside your body. It hurts. It's exciting. I must say that I am starting to feel like part of my heart is walking around over in Ethiopia...it hurts...and it's exciting...!

Homestudy paperwork dropped off

2009-05-26T13:46:00.000-06:00

Dave finished his autobiography over the weekend! WooHoo! With medical history forms and autobiographies complete, we now "get in line" and wait to be assigned a caseworker who will complete the homestudy.

We also "met" with our CWA documents case manager over the web (webinar) today. He'll help us as we gather all the docs required by the Ethiopian government (the dossier.)

House on the market

2009-05-20T17:57:00.001-06:00

Please pray that God would direct the timing of the sale and our move(s)!

IAP off to CWA

2009-05-14T21:30:00.002-06:00

I get to learn a whole new batch of acronyms! Our Initial Application Packet (IAP) went into the mail today. Along with the first half of the agency's fees, the packet is headed to Christian World Adoption (CWA) in North Carolina.

Also - Dave finally started his autobiography!

Paperwork lands in CCS office

2009-05-01T19:18:00.003-06:00

So...it's not exciting to you. But it's exciting to me! I handcarried a large portion of the paperwork required by Catholic Social Services to their office today. It was fun to meet the gals in the office. Two big holes remain: our medical forms and our autobiographies. We're working on it! Or at least I am! Someone needs to yell at Dave. Kerry??

Paperwork blues

2009-04-23T18:06:00.003-06:00

This paperwork scares me. But it's ok...with God and Kerry Davis by my side, I will make it through this!

Yard Sale

2009-04-23T17:54:00.001-06:00

There will be a yard sale at the church on Saturday, May 30th to benefit adopting families. We will be taking donations on Friday, May 29th, so please start cleaning out those closets, basements and garages!

Our journey to adoption:

2009-04-12T12:02:00.017-06:00

In 1986 Dave traveled to Nigeria with a music&drama team. As his team performed and led the people in worship night after night, one little African boy was always in the front row of the crowd singing and dancing and grinning from ear to ear. Dave longed to scoop him up and take him home.

Making disciples, helping the poor, bearing one anothers' burdens...these three areas of focus were enumerated in a sermon in 2008 by our friend and mentor Fred Nelson. I (Jen) thought, "Hmm, which one of those is my forte?" Around this time, Harvest Church was starting to plan ways to help with the devastating conditions in Ethiopia. I began to ponder how I could take care of the poor. How about adoption? I couldn't really think of any non-selfish reasons not to adopt. By the time Harvest rolled out their adoption initiative, I was ready.

Dave has always dreamed of having lots of kids, and we are both feeling like we want to add a fourth child to our family. We would like to adopt an Ethiopian boy in the 2 to 6 year-old age range.