Injera, Here We Come. Wat??? I said, Injera Here We Come!

We're headed to LA today to visit Little Ethiopia! It will be the older kids' first taste of wat and injera, so we'll see how they do!



Hey, at the Ethiopian blogging families' summer "Union" that Carey has us all thrilled about, how about a field trip to Little Ethiopia?! I can hardly wait to meet everyone who has shared this incredible journey with us. What a blessing you all are!

Love and a big hug, too,
Laurie

The Mom Song

Brilliance from Anita Renfroe that you've likely seen before, but it's worth another laugh! I guess our Ethiopian babies never would have heard this had they grown up in Africa. Almaz, the Hannah's Hope Ethiopia coordinator, told us that Ethiopian mothers "don't NAG like American mothers do"! That cracked me up. So, how exactly do they get their children to brush their teeth and do their chores???

Get Fit Plan

Alright, you asked for it...

Like many of my local family and friends, several of my blogging buddies have questioned how much weight I've lost since I started "I Don't Want To Hate My Weight in '08".

As IF! Talk about NOSY!

Well, alright if you must know, it's less than the heft of a medium sized dog and more than that a very fat cat. It's a sizable number, a number I'm pretty proud of, a number I'll never say out loud as long as I live but Michael will tell you in one second flat if you ask him because he forgets that it's PRIVATE!

*breathing*

I'm OK now.

Question #2 is invariably about what diet am I on now that I've publicly resolved to get back into my skinny jeans. I wish I could offer you encouragement that there is a menu program out there that satisfies your cravings and is easy as PIE, but...

Mine's a fairly simple two-step plan, really:

1. Eat almost nothing.

2. Run a lot.

What do you think? Who else is trying to get in fighting trim?

Bible Reading Plan

For those of you interested in reading through the Bible this year, here is a great online resource. M'Cheyne's Bible Reading Plan can be read online or received daily by email!

Who's with me?

Disclaimer

What can I say? I made him take it down. *blush* I guess that makes me perfect anecdotal proof for "The Man Song"!

January OCEAN Gathering

ANNOUNCING our next OCEAN gathering!

(Orange County Ethiopian Adoption Network)

Please join us for play and fellowship

at Santiago Hills Park in Orange

8040 White Oak Ridge Rd, Orange

SUNDAY, January 20, 2008

TIME: 3-5 pm

Bring your frisbee, wiffleballs, footballs, soccer balls, and more.

And the best part . . . Michael Hausam and Curtis Yates plan to dazzle you with their athleticism while keeping all of our children happy, without injury, and fully occupied so that we can have quality adult conversation.

Please bring a finger food munchie to share (chips & dip, veggie tray, crackers & cheese, brownie bites, etc.)

Invite anyone you know that is in the process of adopting from Ethiopia, or is interested to learn more!

Please RSVP to Karen at karen_yates@ca.rr.com.

The Old Man is Snoring

I love rainy days! Granted, today the rain spoiled our beach day, but otherwise I love the rain. The older three would happily have a dandy time at the beach in the rain, but for the two little ones it's just miserable, and cold, and wet, and no fun.

Praying for the Sherrells who are leaving for Africa to bring home little Kidus in just a few days! Praise the Lord!

Horse & Girl

Marg is all about the horse. Everything equine. Marg would be thrilled to sleep in the barn if I would let her. She's a very happy girl when she's in the saddle. And, I'll tell you what, it's a beauty to behold. She is so smooth and easy and confident while riding. She's in her element on horseback. Here are a few shots of my equestrian.

Gingerbread Village Demolition

A perfectly innocent gingerbread village

Oooooh! It's demolition day!

There goes the second cottage!

And the last one is almost down for the count...

A delicious, destructive mess

Michael and the kids and a friend, Todd, had too much fun! I think we have a new post-Christmas tradition now.

Happy New Year 2008!

Happy 2008!

After a long day at the folks' for our traditional Swedish pancakes New Year's breakfast, swimming in the pool, watching the Rose Parade and the USC game (Fight on, Trojans!), playing board games, and going to the beach like we do every year, here I am ready to tackle my resolution list. A new year. A fresh start. Actually, I already blew half of the list today, but let's just keep that little tidbit between us...

OK, so I'm in denial that it's a weensy ideal, but I'm going for it anyway!

• Read through the Bible beginning to end again. I'm using McCheyne's Readings this year.
• Practice being thankful for all the Lord's blessings. My Poppy is so great at this, so he's inspired me.
  
• Be more patient and easygoing with the kids. (i.e. less of a nasty ol' crank by the end of the day!) This is a big one for me, I'm sorry to say.
• Thinking of the above -- go to bed earlier so I'm more rested and cheery for the day ahead!
  
• Plan more dates and weekends away with Michael where we don't talk about the kids, or homeschooling, or the business at all! Laugh if you want, but when you've got a passel of kids, and homeschooling, and your own business you seriously need to make it a rule. "Ah-ah-ah, no kid talk! Oops, no business ideas! Shhh, don't mention field trips! I don't want to hear about library books! Wheesht! Don't even think about your Blackberry!"
  
• Get organized. *sigh* I've been backsliding in that department, I admit.
  
• Run and hit the gym more regularly. I've been doing OK running, but I think I've been to the gym maybe 4 or 5 times since we got home from Africa. Not good. Not good at all.
  
• And last, but truthfully probably at the top of my list... Finish losing the junk in my trunk before our vacation this summer!
  

I warned you that it was ideal, but I've also discovered that I might as well Xerox this list for half of my friends because we're all shooting for the same things. At least we'll have a nice little support group, right?!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!