Val's Spot

In 4 Months...

2012-01-27T03:31:00.001-08:00

In Four Months...
China has grown 2 shoe sizes, 3 cm, and 4 kg.
Mitike has grown 1 shoe size, 6 cm, and 2 kg.
No wonder they're eating us out of house and home!

The Year of the Water Dragon INDEED! (Happy Chinese New Year!)

2012-01-22T19:38:00.000-08:00

I woke up at four to the sound of running water--not a little water, but torrents! It sounded like a waterfall. The whole kitchen floor was covered in water. As had happened before in the bathroom an old hose had burst under the sink. (What do people do that can't fix anything? No plumber would be available!) Matt hurriedly got his wrench to shut off the water while I pushed as much towards the drains as possible. It took us a while to get the floor cleaned up and then we went back to bed (with Ana who had heard it too). When we got back up at 7:00 the cabinet was full of water again! Yikes!

Dragon Dance at the mall.

The local mall had some of the gods walking around on stilts. The middle one is the god of prosperity. (phone photo)

Happenings

2012-01-12T16:05:00.000-08:00

1. Trips to the dentist had some interesting surprises that will need a lot of orthodontic work later! (Ethiopians often have their baby canines removed which greatly affects how the adult teeth come in.)

2. My dad had surgery for cancer and is recovering--hopefully going home today.

3. School has been a great blessing!

4. School has been hectic for Matt with all the scheduling changes.

5. We completed our second post placement report--one more to go!

6. We added three new team members for India--the group is getting close to 30. We leave in less than two months!

Hope things are going well for all of you!

Universal Studios

2012-01-05T23:13:00.000-08:00

Create a scrapbook design

Chinatown Visit

2012-01-05T21:32:00.000-08:00

This year Chinese New Year is just three weeks after Jan. 1st. There has been a lot of activity in Chinatown (and elsewhere! Our little grocery store had the Christmas stuff down the day afterwards!) So, we headed down to take a look. Here's all the bamboo.

Here we are posing in the hot, hot sun!

Here's where we bought our red packets!

Here's the most interesting stall to me. Most of it is different types of sausages, but they also carry dried fish, and other parts of the pig!

Botannic Garden Morning

2011-12-30T02:28:00.000-08:00

Today (Friday) was the first sunny day in a LONG time. It was the perfect time to head to the Botannic Gardens to walk off some energy. By 8:30 we were at Jacob Balla's Garden playing on the playground (which incidentally has BOTH slides closed???). We walked around looking at the different plants, ran through the maze, played in the sand, and then splashed. Then we walked through the gardens, had a picnic lunch, took the rain forest trail, and headed back to the car. They were dragging (which we LIKE)! I highly recommend this day out!

Also we got our fridge back after a MONTH of repairs-seems to be working fine AND it cost way less than what they quoted us!

Too Much Break

2011-12-28T23:11:00.000-08:00

You know your kids need to head back to school when they dress up in all their sparkly skirts/capes, sunglasses, and super power light up things. Yikes!! (too bad we have OVER a week of break left!)

Phone Photos

2011-12-26T04:04:00.000-08:00

Matt just took some pictures off his phone (that have been there quite literally for YEARS!) It was fun to look back!

The most recent--our picture with a British Santa and City Square Fairy!
In Ethiopia--the first trip (May 2011)

This wall is over by Arab Street--must have been a while ago!

Notice the cut hair--she did that quite a while ago!

And here's the kicker--look at those bangs. Thankfully she learned her lesson after just one go!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T04:46:00.000-08:00

This free scrapbook generated with Smilebox

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T00:04:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a wonderful time with friends and family.

What a reason we have to celebrate!

Christmas Program

2011-12-21T17:08:00.000-08:00

We were so far back AND we don't have a good video camera. Don't worry grandparents, it was professionally videoed and we'll post clips later.

Christmas at School

2011-12-21T16:58:00.000-08:00

Ana was in quite the mood by the day was over!

Mitike's class party!

China's class birthday party!

Free dress day. Mitike had no Christmas colors, so I whipped out a skirt in one morning. Don't want to do that again, but everyone loved that they coordinated!

Christmas Time = Shows at the Malls!

2011-12-11T16:52:00.000-08:00

I took Ana to see the Sesame Street Show at Plaza Singapura. Although it wasn't quite the same as last year, it definitely had it's similarities. She LOVED it--so that's what counts!

A Fun Suprise!

2011-12-11T16:42:00.000-08:00

Of course, I suggested a flower. (This man did some AMAZING things!) But no, she wanted a PURPLE SWORD (which later got taken away as she was attacking her brother and sister!)

The ICS puppet team--great students!!

Puppets in action!

China got a spiderman painting--sure glad it didn't stay on too long!

The other day we were invited to watch the ICS Puppet Team perform. It turns out that their show was at a party for adoptive families. China, Mitike, and Ana all got some neat gift bags, lots of food, face painting, and a balloon animal (or purple sword in Ana's case!) We love activities like this that eat up those long afternoons!

Horsin' Around

2011-12-11T16:39:00.001-08:00

Ana and China usually get along quite well (unless she's stealing his blocks!!) The other day Ana made him into her horse (his POOR knees!) We appreciate how good he is with little kids!

Our Friday and Saturday

2011-11-26T00:31:00.000-08:00

This scrapbooking design made with Smilebox

New Best Friends

2011-11-25T00:47:00.000-08:00

There is a (mainland) Chinese family that lives next to us. Their little boy LOVES to come over to play. Too bad we speak no Mandarin and he speaks no English. Ana and him love to ride bikes, kick balls, run, scream, and play with blocks. Although he will probably go into a local kindergarten in January, Ana is enjoying playing with him for now!

School Pictures!

2011-11-25T00:43:00.000-08:00

The pictures came back from the photographer. When you get yours in December, they should be something like this--only less grainy of course!

Our Non Traditional Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T23:30:00.000-08:00

This free greeting made with Smilebox

The Flower Girl

2011-11-12T23:30:00.001-08:00

This is what they looked like most of the time! TOTAL BLURS!

THE HAIR

So Friday was the big staff wedding. The art teacher married the administrative assistant. The administrative assistant's dad is a pastor, so it was a BIG wedding. Luckily Ana didn't seem disturbed by this (even though all the people were clapping for her as she came in--it's Singaporean!). She happily spread all her petals all over the isle. I made sure she got a good nap, cleaned her up, and did her hair--that took a good long while! The ceremony started late mainly because lots of people came in late which meant that the two young children were waiting around for quite a while.

I hope to get some more photos from the actual photographers and post them soon.

Put That Lawn Mower to Good Use

2011-11-10T16:28:00.000-08:00

Don't know what to do with your kids on a beautiful day? Pull 'em around the farm for 1/2 hour or so. Not much effort required!

2011-11-10T16:21:00.000-08:00

Every time we have to go to the embassy we head over to the Botannical Gardens afterwards to blow off some steam.

Every time Ana gets a leaf "umbrella." You should see all the people passing by laughing!

We put Uncle Michael's bubbles to good use!!

Can't Catch Up--so I'll Do Recent Things!

2011-11-10T16:19:00.000-08:00

Picture retakes were last week. Thanks to a very accommodating photographer we got to sneak in a family photo. He was so nice that even took a couple shots with MY camera! We'll get prints and send them off to you in the States--hopefully by Christmas!

2011-11-03T22:31:00.000-07:00

We were very glad to get to meet up with great grandmas, great aunts and uncles, aunts and uncles, cousins, and even some second cousins! The kids were very friendly with everyone and had a great time socializing! Thanks everyone for going out of your way to come and see us!

Keepin' them busy!

2011-11-01T23:32:00.000-07:00

We played a lot of soccer and rode the horses frequently! Anything to keep them active and out of the house!

The Feast of the Hunter's Moon

2011-11-01T23:14:00.000-07:00

Right before we came back from Ethiopia, the girls went to the Feast of the Hunter's Moon. They ate apple dumplings, buffalo stew, roasted corn, and lemonade. They dipped candles and cut logs. They saw people dressed in 1800's gear and got to see how things were done in that time period. Fun was had by all and best of all it wore Ana out! Thanks Auntie Karla for this great idea! Want to go? Lafayette, Indiana at Fort Ouiatenon Park in late September.

2011-11-01T23:02:00.000-07:00

Finding ways to keep these three busy and not fighting was a challenge. So, we put them to work cleaning out the pumpkins. Then, after they drew the faces, Matt cut it out for them. They couldn't leave them alone afterwards. Days later they were still digging around in them. Their pumpkins rotted extra fast!

Ana's Birthday Trail Ride

2011-11-01T22:54:00.000-07:00

We did this two days before I left for Ethiopia. It was freezing cold, but the horses felt good and there were no bugs. We rode for 2 1/2 hours which was much longer than I expected Ana to last! The forests were lovely and we even saw a deer. What a fun way to celebrate your birthday!

At Four

2011-10-28T00:32:00.001-07:00

I realize that this is a month late, but we were in Ethiopia on Ana's birthday. I had made a purple outfit. So I just took pictures of her in it today! There's a lot of pressure on her now as she is the one who speaks English and knows the rules (supposedly). I appreciate her laugh and smiles even in transition.

We Made It!

2011-10-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

After 36 hours of travel and being split up on the first leg and (me) having to sit in the airport with the girls for about 6 hours and having kids sprawled all over you for 10 hours, we made it. Let me just say that Singapore Air is AWESOME. I've flown them before, but never on a long haul. There was excellent service--the stewards even learned the kids' names, the in flight entertainment was light years ahead of Lufthansa and the American airlines, and they fed you great food constantly. (I wonder what business class would be like!) Even though the flight was longer--it was worth it!

Passports Coming!

2011-10-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

Yeah! They released the passports today and they will arrive on Monday. We also confirmed our tickets for Wednesday AND our flight isn't until 10:30am. This will allow us to get a good nights rest. Because of our delay we got to spend an extra day with Grandma and Grandpa Clark today. Thanks for driving up to see us!

Be Thankful

2011-10-06T16:39:00.000-07:00

I think we are now leaving on Wednesday-almost a week later--all because the State Department required one little stamp. BUT, truth be told I was not looking forward to being on a flight by myself with all three of them that left at 5am! We're also enjoying lovely fall weather together and lots of horse rides! Thanks for all your encouraging e-mails!

We Passed...Again!

2011-09-28T04:49:00.000-07:00

We had our court date in Indiana yesterday. The kids sat quietly and the judge was very kind. Now the birth certificates are what is standing in the way--they're telling us that we have to wait 90 days. (With Ana's we went right after court and picked it up, so we know this is not true!) If that is the case, we'll just use the wrong, misspelled names on the passports and change them later.

The Trail Ride

2011-09-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

Here's "my" horse Annie.

The woods were quite beautiful and would be STUNNING in October when all the leaves have changed color. This picture also shows Annie leading which was a major milestone as she is a true follower!

This picture shows why Grandma got a smaller horse!

I debated with Fred and Betsy what to call this post. I thought about entitling it "My IN-Laws Just Tried to Kill Me," or "Death by Trail Ride." They said I should call it "We Told You to Get Off the Horse," or "Isn't This So Much Fun?"

We started out Friday morning and drove almost three hours down to the campground in southern Indiana. After getting settled, we went for a "short" ride. The horses did great even though we went up and down some large hills AND a deer jumped across the path in front of us.

The night was interesting as none of the horses liked the horse behind them and didn't sleep most of the time. Annie laid down and her head hung out the stall (normal stalls being much too small for such large horses). Every time she lifted her head she hit the gate. How do I know? Because I was sleeping in the truck and could see through the windshield! F and B slept in the trailer on a deflated air mattress.

The next day we rode for seven hours--that was the killer part. Not only were the horses, who normally stand out in the field and eat all day, dying, but their riders were quite sore too! It was quite interesting to see all the different horses and riders out on the trail. (This is the largest ride with over 220 horses there.)

That night was the auction and dance. Although I attended neither I can attest they lasted well into the night!

Thanks for taking me F and B. It was an experience that will not be soon forgotten!

Granpa's New Purchase

2011-09-15T08:20:00.000-07:00

So, I'm skipping a lot of posts for this, BUT I know all you Eilers are dying to see Grandpa's new purchase. The funniest thing was when the horses ran up to check them out!!

We're Going!

2011-09-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

It turns out that the embassy was not taking ANY appointments the week we wanted to travel. So we either had to go next week or wait until the beginning of October. Thankfully, they still had appointments for next week and I will probably leave on Monday--Yikes! Appreciate your prayers for a calm, peaceful spirit as we do some last minute things!

In Martinsville...

2011-09-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

we celebrated Grandpa's birthday with an ice cream cake

and lunch at Steak 'n Shake,

and a party for Ana's birthday,

and we played dominoes with Great Grandma Allen.

Misc. from Memphis

2011-09-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

Here's how pecans look on the tree. They weren't quite ready yet, but we cracked a couple open so that Ana could see the nut inside.

There are LOTS of spiders in the south. This one had a really interesting web, but you had to stay far away as he is pretty aggressive.

This black and yellow garden spider was the largest spider I've ever seen outside of a container! They are harmless and very interesting to watch.

We loved all the new things we learned at Grandma and Grandpa Clark's house!

New Info.

2011-09-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

Mitike's documents were submitted in Ethiopia on Thursday--so should hear sometime next week!

Quick Update

2011-09-08T04:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't been posting--been really busy and Ana sleeps in the room where the compute is preventing me from posting at night.
Good News! We have been cleared to pick up China. Mitike's paperwork is being translated. After it is turned in we should hear something in less than a week. Pray that they accept her paperwork as easily as China's!
I'm going on a trail ride this weekend and Ana is staying with the cousins. She's very excited!

The Ongoing Saga

2011-09-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

So, the social worker came back to Addis Ababa (after a two week trip). She was able to get the necessary registration number. Our agency was then to pick it up and take it to the US embassy. The embassy will then take up to a week to decide whether it is acceptable or not. You can pray with us that it is--they have been asking for a lot of "clarifications." (One family had FOUR clarification requests!)
In other news we're heading back to Indiana tomorrow. It's been interesting scouring the house trying to find all Ana's stuff that she's put in various bags, coolers, and suitcases. I think we've been successful. We found a pair of shoes that had been missing for three months!

Bob and Larry

2011-08-28T05:47:00.000-07:00

Ana had a great time meeting Bob and Larry AND playing with a complete stranger!

Paperwork

2011-08-23T15:49:00.000-07:00

The social worker from the orphanage is somewhere on the southern Ethiopian/Sudanese border getting the much desired registration number. Please pray for her safety and a speedy return! (We were told by our agency it could take several--how vague is that??--more days.)

I Heart What????

2011-08-23T15:43:00.000-07:00

The other day I was proudly wearing my I Heart SG shirt into WalMart. (I was in Hernando Mississippi--probably not the most world savvy place in the US!) While I was checking out one of the employees came up and said, "What's that SG stand for on your shirt?" "Singapore, I live there," I replied. "She nodded, pursed her lips, and stated, "Hmmm, I thought it was Saginaw, Michigan!" (I did my best not to laugh--honest!)

Ana Says...

2011-08-19T05:49:00.000-07:00

"Have you got any barley water?" to the sales person at Arbys (a fast food chain). Blank Stare.

"No one understood me today in Sunday School."
"Why not?"
"I was was speaking Singaporean."

(After church) (me) "What did your teacher ask you?"
"How old I am. When is my birthday? Where do I live."
"What did you tell her?"
"I live in Afghanistan." (sigh)

(At McDonalds) "Do they have any fishballs?"

Pear Pie Anyone?

2011-08-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not I made a pear pie--it was great! They have a nice flavor and retain their form when baked. Basically I think you could use it in any recipe that calls for apples--apple rolls are next on the agenda! This is what happens when you have a tree dripping with pears. Can't bear to waste them!

What to Do?

2011-08-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

Today after a serious of strong showers/storms the electricity went off. We were thankful it was only in the lower 70's! After playing a few games in the house we headed outdoors and ...

walked in the rain. She loves her Veggie Tale umbrella! practiced taking photos!

made mud pies! And believe it or not, she did not get dirty at all. She played in the mud for at least 45 minutes pretending to feed bunnies, make soup, and bake pies!

watched the hummingbirds. They are amazing. At one time there were eight on the feeder!
Sorry I haven't blogged much. I've been doing a lot of sewing--more on that later!

It Is FINISHED!

2011-08-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

Mitike's quilt. So glad I'm done. I have a lot of other projects that I haven't been able to work on because this was my top priority. I love how it turned out even though it is too busy and bright for me!

Who Knew?

2011-08-10T11:56:00.000-07:00

Who knew this is what a hazelnut looks like and that my parents have them in their yard? We wanted to try to make our own "nutella" but that was a dismal failure. We tried!

Adoption Update

2011-08-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

How do you like that hair?

New hair cut!!

We have been REALLY frustrated with how long it is taking to get the new documents required by the embassy. (So much so, I was seriously considering going to Ethiopia and standing there every day until they get them!) But, there is some good news. All China's documents are now in order (We THOUGHT his would be harder than Mitike's!) Just waiting on two things for Mitike. That orphanage has said they have a person working on it--pray they work a little harder!!

Museum 2

2011-08-07T12:09:00.000-07:00

Ana loved the "skyscraper." All it was was carpeted levels with a hole cut out so that the child could climb as high as they wanted. It had wire all around it so that there was no way anyone could fall. (the arrow points to Ana) One boy wouldn't come down and his mother had to climb up to get him. We were afraid she'd get stuck as the openings aren't very wide.
We also enjoyed watching the bees for a while.

She had fun driving the fire truck, motorcycle, and police car. It was nice that they had dress up clothes for each piece of equipment. I think the kids liked it most because they were "real" cars!

There was a fun costume area. She had a hard time choosing what she wanted to wear. Then you could go up to the green stage and be filmed. While she was dancing only castles were showing up, but they had everything from Bollywood dancing to rap!

If Only...

2011-08-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

If only adults were so easily entertained!

Children's Museum of Memphis Part 1

2011-08-06T16:35:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the local Children's Museum. It's about a quarter of the size of Indianapolis', BUT Ana loved almost every exhibit. In fact, she visited several exhibits two or three times. I was impressed with how everything was very hands on which holds the child's interest.
The Kroger's grocery store was one of her favorite exhibits. She loved the little carts and being able to pick out what she wanted to eat. The scanners really worked. It was a challenge at times to find the bar code on the packaging, but she loved getting her receipt! What did she put in her cart-cookies, pasta, or ice cream? No way--it's calamari rings for this girl!
There was a dentist's office which showed all the teeth and the proper way to brush. Ana enjoyed the car exhibit which talked about seat belt/car seat safety. There was an actual full size car (minus doors) that allowed the kids to "drive" and try different car seats. She loved the bank where you could write checks and get money (that you could keep). She also really "got down" in the disco room. It's too bad my camera doesn't take videos--pretty funny!
Memphis, being the home of FedEx, of course had to have a FedEx plane! Ana loved sitting in the pilot's seat and pushing buttons to her heat's content. There was also a mini wind tunnel which allowed her to see what the flaps do on the plane. We also enjoyed watching a waterspout form. The kids can actually touch it and see how that disrupts the flow of air.

Ethiopian Food

2011-08-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a lot of success getting people to eat Ethiopian with me--so when my dad expressed interest we headed out to the east side of Memphis for lunch. We had a yummy buffet meal. You should have seen Ana eat the rice. WOW! (It was the best rice we've had in a while!) Most Ethiopian meals include a bread injera (made from teff--a very fibrous grain), lots of vegetables including chickpeas, green beans, beets, and carrots, and usually a stew with some meat. It was delicious--nice to have some spice in my food :)

How to Entertain Your Child

2011-08-06T16:24:00.000-07:00

After going through a lot of boxes of junk--I mean important heirlooms, I came across my band box. I put this beautiful flag on a small pole and turned her loose in the yard. She whirled, twirled and ran to her heart's content. Hooray for old junk!

Patience

2011-07-27T16:32:00.000-07:00

I've been told many, many times how patient I am. But, really I'm not! When I appear patient it's probably because I've just been begging God to get the ball rolling. (If you feel led to intercede on our behalf--we'd sure appreciate it!) Although things haven't gone as we had hoped, He has given us a lot of peace during this process. We aren't Christians so that things go our way, but so that at the end of the day we give God glory in every circumstance--even in the waiting.

Romans 5:3-5 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Parks

2011-07-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Awesome playground in Hernando, Mississippi.
Walking in the woods is a big "adventure!" She loves to walk on the tree roots--what a city girl!
It is actually hotter and more humid here than in Singapore, BUT we've still tried to keep Ana as active as possible. Sometimes, early in the morning, we head out to a park for walking and playground time. We usually leave the park by 8:30. Even this early Ana is a big sweatball, but it helps her behavior for the rest of the day.

The Clinton County Fair

2011-07-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

Above is an elephant ear (thin deep fried dough sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar), tractors, and walking through the barn. Ana really wanted to ride all the BIG rides (by herself), but she was too short!

This was her favorite ride because it went up high. She had the same boy drive her twice and the last time she drove.

Every fair has a bracelet day. You pay one fee and can ride all day. Ana rode for two hours and the adults got tired :) The funniest thing was that there was a "Chinese dragon" roller coaster.

County Fairs are a longstanding tradition in the States. Students (with a LOT of parental help) will raise animals and enter them in the fair. Traditionally you had to win at the county level to qualify for the State Fair, but now anyone can enter at the State level. We saw llamas, horses, cows, hogs, sheep, and goats. Ana even got to go in a goat pen because Grandma and Grandpa knew the owner. The owner showed us a video of his fainting goats. It was hilarious. They get too excited/scared and they just fall over--stiff as a board.

We had a great time at the fair--it definitely used up a lot of her energy!

Lazy Summer Days

2011-07-22T16:43:00.000-07:00

Taking a break on the grass--something I'd never do in Singapore, but Ana loved it!!!

She can never get enough swinging. Thanks good neighbors for letting us borrow your swing!

Can You Guess Her Favorite Color?

2011-07-22T16:38:00.000-07:00

She knows what she likes!

I'm SOOOO Old

2011-07-22T16:28:00.000-07:00

Early in July we had a great time visiting one of our supporting churches, Grace Mooresville. They have faithfully supported us for 10 years! Thanks Grace!! My first teaching job (Mooresville Christian Academy--they've also supported us for 10 years!) was near this church and I had the privilege of meeting up with two of my students. They are now seniors in high school. Living overseas makes it hard to keep up with former students, so I was so happy to see them doing well. We had a great time meeting up with old friends and sharing with the k-4th grades Sunday school classes. Thanks for having us!

2011-07-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

Make a free picture slideshow

Here's some of our activities in Indiana. Ana says "hi" to everybody in Singaore. She wants to go "home" and really misses you all!

Yet Another Adoption Update

2011-07-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

Our papers were filed at the US embassy last Wed.! Hopefully we'll hear something in a week or two. Please pray that the papers are all acceptable to them and that they don't need anything new!

On another note our US gov't fingerprints (for background checks) expire Sept. 1. This of course is cutting it very close to when we will be traveling. Our agency has strongly encouraged us to get them updated, but when we contacted Bangkok they kept saying wait. To make matters worse we're now on different sides of the planet and were at a loss of how to do it. Our agency very kindly called to get some information and for me to get fingerprinted in the States it was going to take about 45 days just to get an appointment! Matt finally got a hold of someone in Bangkok and they said, "You don't need to be refingerprinted, we'll just run the last prints again AND there is no charge." This is a minor miracle--it's all in who you talk to!

At Home in Martinsville

2011-07-18T07:25:00.000-07:00

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Trying to get caught up. I'm shooting for one or two posts a day!!

Adoption Update

2011-07-06T07:31:00.000-07:00

All our documents are ready to be submitted to the embassy (in less than a month!!!) There was some minor drama because the agency staff all went on holiday and hasn't checked their e-mail, but the director in Ethiopia was good enough to e-mail us directly. Everything seems to be in order now! Thus begins the wait on the US embassy--some cases are processed very quickly and others take months. We're praying for no problems in the paperwork and good dates to go pick them up.

Quick Adoption Update

2011-07-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

Nothing is definite, but we were informed that they think our case will be submitted to the US embassy within the next two weeks! Things are slower at the embassy as there are staff changes and people on vacation. We are excited to see things continue to move! Keep praying that there are not big backups at the embassy because of staffing changes. Also, keep praying for two families that had court LONG ago and still have not received their MOWA letter. It's hard to see others around you passing and your case inexplicably sitting still.

2011-06-30T15:37:00.000-07:00

Here's what we've been up to. I'm planning a fun farm post soon.

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Riding!

2011-06-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

I'll have some other posts to go back to, but this is what we've been up to!

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Blueberries!!!

2011-06-15T14:52:00.000-07:00

We decided to go to the Nesbit Blueberry Plantation and pick some blueberries. We were amazed at how plentiful and LARGE they were. They are extremely tasty too! We've got visions of blueberry cream cheese muffins. We picked over 3 gallons in 30 minutes. Ana had a great time and picked a full 1/2 gallon by herself. Amazing!
(Karla we're bringing some for you!)

What a Child I Have!!

2011-06-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

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We Passed Court Today!!!

2011-06-10T11:53:00.000-07:00

Two weeks after our court date we got our MOWA letter! China and Mitike are

officially part of the Eiler family!

A Girl and Her Tractor???

2011-06-09T17:19:00.000-07:00

My mother got it into her head that Ana needed a motorized vehicle. And, to be fair, there is a huge backyard to ride it in. (Fred and Betsy this will be coming to Indiana too--so be ready!) So after Wednesday night prayer meeting they went to pick it up. It had to charge for 18 hours--so she couldn't use it until the afternoon. It was tough keeping it a secret that long! We left it in low gear at first, but once we saw she could steer it, etc. we let her go. You should have heard her laugh as she took off! Tomorrow I'm putting her to work hauling hedge clippings! After Grandma got done mowing they played a rousing game of lawnmower tag. (Sorry the photo is so far away, I had my fixed lens on!) Pretty funny to watch!

Keepin' Busy!

2011-06-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

My girl is a strange one! Here she contentedly played with play dough (using chocolate molds and star wars stampers--what a combo!) while wearing a hair dying cap. In fact she wore that awful thing all day and then forgot about (thank goodness)!

She's been asking frequently to "climb" the tree. This really means pick me up and set me on the branch. She does set there for a while!

One thing I love about being out in the country is that you can explore nature everyday. We try to show Ana nature in Singapore (and Singapore has a lot of gardens/parks). But, it's just not the same as being able to go into your back yard with a magnifying glass and look at the different parts of a plant. So, hooray for summer and lots of time outdoors!

Play!

2011-06-07T07:04:00.000-07:00

We've been doing different things to get Ana outside (even though it has been around 100 every day!) She had a great time at a local playground with a pirate ship playground. She tried all the difficult climbing things (which scared her grandma) and went down all the slides. We also took a short walk on a paved path.

She just discovered today that she can ride her tricycle down the hill with no effort. She did that about 15 times. It's nice too because the drive is almost always shaded by the large trees in the yard.

Great Grandma and Grandpa

2011-06-07T07:00:00.001-07:00

Ana had a lot of fun with the great grandparents. When she's around anyone who is louder and crazier than herself, it's always a shock to her system! While Ana was taking a nap we cut down dead trees/branches, had a fantastic bar-be-que lunch, and then talked a while before they began their three hour drive home.

Thanks for coming to visit!

What We've Been Enjoying!

2011-06-06T11:18:00.001-07:00

FAMILY, a big backyard, swimming, mom's old Barbie dolls, cheese, milk, fresh fruit, worship at church, convenience, shopping, homemade ice cream, and free time (for mom)!

She's Driving/Aunt and Uncle

2011-06-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

Ana got to spend a morning with Aunt Meg and Uncle Jeremy. They managed to keep her pretty busy (which was nice!) She had a great time blowing bubbles, being pushed in the stroller, chasing Uncle, and talking her head off. Thanks for coming to visit.

Ana is driving!! We were doing some yard work and Grandpa let her steer the tractor. After a while I think she had it pretty much figured out! I'm trying to keep her outdoors as much as possible. It is quite warm here, but no where near as humid as Singapore!

Day 5

2011-06-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

This was a difficult day. We spent just 4 days with the kids and then already had to say goodbye. China and Mitike have already experienced so much loss in their life, it seems like this system just causes more fear and a sense of loss in their lives. Anyway, Abebe, the guest house guy, read and explained our letter to them. They didn't cry, but wouldn't look us in the eye. Abebe said that they were holding their feelings in. I cried. It is so hard to wait for two years, have a taste, and then walk away. Some mothers of some of the younger children are even planning to go back and stay for three weeks or so before their visa date. It was tempting to stay!
Afterwards, we went shopping with Abebe and his classmate. We paid him a fee and then he bargained for us and took us where we wanted to go. We went to a local market, a coffee shop, a silver store, and then too lunch. Ana and I share a pizza, Matt had an egg sandwich, and the guys shared a hamburger, ingera, and lamb. It was another great place that we wouldn't have experienced if we didn't have a local guide!
We had a peaceful afternoon packing and then ate dinner with the family at the guest house. Then, it was off to the airport. The airport is quite nice, but you do have to wait in some long lines and be scanned a couple of times! We had to wait for quite a while in a contained seating area. I would have liked it much better if you could go out to the bathroom!
Ethiopia is a fantastic place. The people are warm and friendly and sincere. We hope to spend a lot more time there in the future!

Ethiopia Day 3 and 4

2011-05-31T11:28:00.000-07:00

Day 3
We went over to Layla after breakfast and again got to see the kids in their classes. I sat with China during Math. He still has difficulty writing with his cast on. He is in the oldest class, but has never been to school before this. We’ll probably put them in the same grade. Later he started feeling badly and had to see the doctor—not sure what was wrong, but something to do with his stomach. From there we went to lunch at a nice restaurant right next to the national museum. Ana and I shared a pizza and Matt ate at least two pieces! Then people went shopping some more. We were just looking although we did see some pretty nice crosses. We need to make a list of all the things we want to buy. I’m hoping to get a lot of the shopping done this trip, so we can do more important things the next trip. We had a nice dinner of rice, vegetables, bread and French fries then all went to bed early. This was so important for the next day.

Day 4
Today we went to court. It was a crowded room with very little seating. There were a lot of Caucasians—some were French. One group when they went in had another group praying for them which was sweet. Our group went in all together. One couple already knew that were going to pass. The judge didn’t have one couples file and at first only said Mitike’s name. The lawyer reminded her that China was also part of our case. We didn’t have our letter, neither did the other two couples. (Out of nine court cases this week, only three passed.) It was disappointing. You fly half way around the world to answer two minutes worth of questions and be told that your MOWA letter wasn’t there. Oh well. We have had a great time meeting, playing with, and watching our kids in class. We’ve learned a lot about them already.
We ran back to the guest house to quickly to change and give Ana some medicine. Then the driver took us back to Layla. We didn’t have lunch because Matt and Ana weren’t feeling well, but we did eat with China and Mitike. She eats a lot very quickly! I then went to a computer class. They were doing lots of tricky things with Word. This will be helpful for them at school.
Suddenly, kids came running for Tukura and China. Both of their uncles had come from very far away to see them. After a disappointing court date this really amazed me. These two men could have come at any time on any day. I don’t think it’s a coincidence we skipped lunch and shopping and were there. We went down to the social workers office and through a translator we asked questions. We got the father’s and mother’s name, the place where they lived, and many other details. China has been an orphan for about four years. We found out which tribe he's from and some about his uncle. At the end of our time I asked him if there was anything else he wanted to say to us. He said, “He is your son now. I hope that you will do your best for him and help him rise to a good position.” Although we didn’t hear these words in court, it meant much more to me to hear them from him! We took lots of pictures of them together as well as with Tukura and his uncle. I’m really thankful to God for giving us this experience. It was a true blessing. We made sure to find out where the uncle is so that hopefully we can take China to visit in the future. It was obvious that China had an attachment to him. As China has so few relatives living we feel it very important to keep in touch with this uncle.

Ethiopia Day 1 and 2

2011-05-31T05:54:00.000-07:00

Day 1
Travel—ugh!! Lufthansa is a great airline. Each seat has touch screens even on most of the old planes. They serve the kids first and have puzzles and coloring things for them to use. Ana watched movies and cartoons. The first flight was a night flight and Ana probably slept about eight hours out of 12—not bad. We had quite a long layover in Frankfort. Because there are different “wings” to the airport and you have to have a ticket for that wing, you kind of get stuck. There wasn’t too much to do. There was a small playset that had no slides—basically it was a house with stairs. Ana did play with several kids there. (In contrast Singapore’s airport had the most awesome play area I’ve seen in a long time. Ana played about and hour there and there were only four kids on it the whole time.)
We had no problems getting our visa. It did take a little while as they are done by hand and the line was pretty long. But we eventually got through. We ran into problems in customs. We had collected two boxes of used but nice shoes. The customs guy said that they shouldn’t be allowed in because they weren’t nice enough. After 15 minutes of carrying Matt’s passport around he eventually let us go. Our guest house met us there and took us to the house. It was only about ½ hour away. We were happy to go right to bed (after a cold shower!)

Day 2
Ana got up at about 5:40. I had to try to keep her quiet as there was another couple staying right next door. (Matt was in another room.) We had a nice breakfast of fresh bread, juice, and cereal. After a while someone came to take us to Layla. On this day there were five cases going to court and 1 going to embassy. We were literally dropped off and had no idea what we were doing. When the kids figured out who we were they quickly rounded up China and Mitike. (Usually I think they let you meet them one on one without a crowd of observing children. ) They both greeted us with lots of hugs and were very happy. I felt like crying. It didn’t seem real, we’ve waited so long. They drug us along to see their rooms. For the rest of the morning we watched them in PE, English, Library, Computer, and Math class. I got to look at Mitike’s homework book which gave me a good idea of where she should be placed in school. We also had lunch with the kids which was injera (a bread made from teff), wat (which is a stew) and a mixture of potato and beet. The kids ate far more than we did. I think we’ll be purchasing a lot more food soon!
We went out to the National Museum. This was very hard with Ana because she couldn’t touch anything and had to be quiet. She was also exhausted by then because she had played all morning and not had a nap. It was interesting though. It included some information on the different tribes from the South as well as Emperor Hallie Selassie’s bedroom and bathroom. We went briefly to do some shopping at Churchill Street, but it poured and we soon left.
Back at the guest house we had a nice Ethiopian dinner that was very similar to lunch, but also included a spicy meat dish and some French fries. (Ana was so tired I took her up to bed during dinner and she fell asleep in 30 seconds!) Following that we had a coffee ceremony with the other family. It takes a lot of effort to do this from roasting the coffee beans over hot coals, to grinding them in a mortar /pestle to reheating the coffee over the coals. Usually they say during this they talk about their day. There is ample time to find out every detail! Matt had two cups—it is strong, but didn’t keep me awake. I’m running on fumes and will probably sleep for a week after this!

Just So You Know...

2011-05-23T00:26:00.001-07:00

I went to a doctor over by Mustafa's, told him my situation, and he gave me some strong antibiotics, zyrtec (I laugh because customs wouldn't let this through in our FedEx package), some nasty cough suppressant, and some extra medicines in case we fall sick in Ethiopia--after India I hope not!!

I am better although I don't have much of a voice. The weather is quite cool in Addis this week--not even making it into the 70s (between 14-21 C). Please continue to pray for good health. Us Singaporeans (or expats who have lived here for 10 years) do not handle cold well.

I hope to update more while in Ethiopia, but we'll see how the Internet does. If its too slow I'll post later from the States.

Thanks for praying!

Please Pray With Us!

2011-05-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

We're excited to be leaving TOMORROW for Ethiopia! Here's how you can pray
with us:

1. In the last 12 hours I've developed a bad cough. I'm going to the
doctor this morning which still gives me two full days to get better! Pray
for good health throughout the trip. I don't think that this is a
coincidence that I'm getting sick right before the trip.

2. Pray for Ana as she has 2 1/2 full days of travel in the next week.
Pray that she'll be able to sleep well and that I will be especially
patient!

3. Pray for our court date (May 27th) specifically that the MOWA letter
would be there so that we would pass. This is not impossible, but would be
a minor miracle!!

4. Pray for Matt as he returns to Singapore to finish off the school year
well.

We thank you for praying and will send out another update after our trip!

Matt, Valerie, and Ana

Packing and So Long

2011-05-20T00:08:00.001-07:00

I have finally allowed myself to get the suitcases out today. (If you pack early here--it starts to smell!) We will have three full boxes of donations for Layla--a lot of which has come from the school. It is a little bit tricky packing because Ana and I have to bring stuff back for the States too. I guess if we forget something Matt can always bring it later.

On Thursday Ana and I said our goodbyes. This is always a hard time of year because you say farewell to the Seniors, staff, and families. Expat life is a constant goodbye (and often you have no hope of seeing these people again). It tends to wear on you when you're in one place for a long time. We also found out that some of Ana's playmates down the hall will be going back to Bangladesh. You either get really good at moving on emotionally or you can get really bitter! So, we move forward (in this case to Ethiopia)!

Neighborhood Play

2011-05-10T23:59:00.001-07:00

Ana loves to play everyday with her friends. She just waits to hear them yelling at the door, "Annnnaaaa, bicycle?" Because of the extra room on her bike, she (or whoever is using it at the moment) is responsible for carting around the little one. She's so cute I've never heard any protests, BUT try to take her seat and you'll hear some screaming for sure!

HOT!!

2011-05-08T01:03:00.001-07:00

Sorry I haven't been posting. The heat index here for the past couple of days has been over 110. We haven't been doing much!
We did get plane tickets and will leave on Monday the 23rd. We fly through Germany. I had to go to Memphis in the States because it is race weekend in Indy. (We arrive there on the 29th in the late afternoon--sorry you'll have to miss church mom and dad!) At least I had two options.
Today we spent some time at Vivo. The highs in Ethiopia are in the lower 80's (which will be very chilly for us!) We found two Children's Place long sleeve shirts for Ana for a couple of dollars. I also found a new pair of shorts and a shirt for pretty cheap. We're looking forward to shopping in the States as well!
Hope to post some pictures soon! Just can't venture very far from the fan!

Court Date!

2011-05-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

We have a court date! (May 27) I was expecting to have more bad news from the agency and was shocked to find that there are no problems. Now we are scrambling to get tickets and decide summer plans. Matt wants to return to Singapore for graduation and all the admin. stuff he needs to do, but Ana and I will probably go directly to the States.

We thank God for sustaining us through and almost 2 year wait (not that the waiting is all over!)

Mitike's Quilt

2011-04-29T23:45:00.000-07:00

I've actually had this done for quite a while. I ran into issues finding batting. It's really pricey and all cotton or wool. (Where's Wal-Mart when you need it?) Once I bit the bullet, I got it put together and found it really hard to quilt. The batting is quite thick. It's going to be a LONG process, but worth it!
I also ran out of the main pink material. I knew I'd never be able to find more (it was bought in the States), so I improvised. On one side I put on an Ethiopian map to which I will add the date when we finally complete this arduous process! On the other side I put a flower with her name. I love how it turned out--it's really bright and cheerful, but also very pretty!

Adoption Update

2011-04-29T23:42:00.000-07:00

Our case was submitted to court 7 weeks ago. The agency said they did have some news on their Friday, but wanted to clarify something and won't tell us anything. They said we should know something on Monday--makes for a LONG weekend! Thankfully it's Matt's birthday which helps!!

Splash!

2011-04-25T16:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to the Nex mall, enjoyed some awesome Taiwanese food at Din Tai Fung, and then let the kids play in the water area. It was really hot and sunny, but there were nice covered places to sit.
My favorite part was playing with the baby! She NEVER lets me hold her, but today she was happy to do so! (She's LAUGHING--not crying!!) CUTE!

Ana enjoyed getting really wet. Thanks for the swimsuit grandma! The first thing she said was, "Mom it will cover my tummy!" She was very happy with it!

Easter!

2011-04-25T16:07:00.000-07:00

Rez. rolls. I had never made these before. The kids liked doing it, but it's key to get the marshmallow sealed inside or it doesn't disappear completely. A couple of them worked! On a funny note Joshua asked his mom where Jesus was. "Is He still in the oven?"

Ana's Easter dress. Finished on Saturday afternoon! I did the pin lines and french knots too. I liked how it turned out except I would have added a belt.

Easter egg hunt. Can you tell we live in the tropics???

They had great fun hiding and hunting for each other (we separated the girls and the boys!) I'm glad we can make these memories!

First Pet

2011-04-20T01:40:00.001-07:00

When my good friend Claudia visited she bought her son two small turtles. When she left, she gave the turtles to Ana. We were in India--so we met up with Claudia's mom today to get the two little guys. It would be an understatement to say that Ana is in love with them. She wants to feed them, change their water, let them run around on the floor, etc. We'll see how long it lasts!

Flowers

2011-04-19T05:45:00.000-07:00

Shalom has done a fantastic job of planting flowers and flowering trees everywhere. The first view you have coming in is of a row of trees that bloom in white, light and dark purple. It's truly beautiful!
This is the bouquet that they gave Ana after she cut the tape to the new Banana garden. (I have to say that it was pretty funny to see guys walking around picking the flowers for it!) It was lovely!

Ana's favorite purple!

Couldn't resist a perfect bloom all by itself!

Favorite Animals in India

2011-04-19T05:34:00.000-07:00

We visited a local home and Ana loved holding the puppies!

Of course, there were tons of cows everywhere!

Here's Ana trying to feed the sheep!

Perhaps the cutest inhabitant at Shalom!

Day 5

2011-04-19T02:59:00.000-07:00

This was another work day--so we went out an took pictures...

while everyone else hauled dirt!

India Day 4

2011-04-19T01:11:00.000-07:00

Crafting at the Eden school. Here the group was making God's eyes.

This was the youngest group the glued sequins and beads on pins.

One of my favorite pictures!! There are times when I question living overseas as being "good" for my child, but when I see her learning about and enjoying other cultures--it makes it all worth it!

The swing--I would estimate she spent--NO JOKE-- 5-6 HOURS on the swing throughout the week! Of course it was a nice swing--you can go quite high AND there were plenty of willing hands to push!!

India-Day 2 and 3

2011-04-18T02:59:00.000-07:00

We did some things other than what the high schoolers do (because of Ana). (This is when they were climbing to the top of the hill--quite steep!!) She got to try to walk a sheep with an uncle's help. It was hilarious to hear her talking to it as it bleated for the other sheep.

We went to church and sang. Two gave their testimonies and the other male sponsor shared from Esther.

Ana had the life trainees eating out of the palm of her hand. Here they are in her "secret tree house" feeding her bear.

These guys don't speak a lot of English, but they sure were good listeners.

We tried to work with the high schoolers on Saturday, BUT Ana wanted to jump into the compost pit, catch flying metal pans (that's how they haul dirt), and generally get in the way. So, we looked elsewhere for things to do. Maybe next year!

India- Day One

2011-04-17T22:56:00.000-07:00

I have to say that this was a VERY long day! We were up around 3:30 am. The students were all at the airport early, and after prayer we headed into the terminal. We were all together at the back of the plane. It was great for us because Ana could go around to the students and talk to/bother them for a while!! The students were a great help all week long. They played with, talked to, and swung Ana for countless hours--couldn't done it without them!! I haven't had time to edit pictures, but here's Ana as the center of attention (as usual). This is after we arrived at Yellegiri. They hang the swing especially for her, but the high schoolers enjoy it too! Two of the high school boys loved to swing on their stomachs and see how close they could come to the cement steps. Luckily Ana wasn't interested in replicating that stunt!

The hills are quite high. Even though I've been up there 5 or 6 times the road is still a little scary (think tons of hair pins and no guardrails in a BIG bus). As you can see down below it was quite warm, but up in the hills it was pretty nice!

Just before you go up the hill there is a village that makes bricks. They form the bricks, dry them in the sun, and then load up a kiln. I think I was told they stay in for a couple of weeks. This kiln is already mostly unloaded. I'm sure this is the way it's been done for a LONG time here.

We briefly got to visit with the 20 boys that live at the orphanage. They danced for us and we got to give them some small gifts. Too bad that we couldn't stay longer!

We're Off!

2011-04-06T17:05:00.000-07:00

Just finishing up a few last things today and we head off to India bright and early tomorrow (have to be at the airport around 5:30 am!!!) I'm really looking forward to this trip. It is always a good reality check and a lesson in Thanksgiving! If God brings us to mind--pray. On Friday we have about 13-14 hours of travel with Ana and 19 high schoolers that had to get up really early! Have a great week!

Frustration

2011-04-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

First, let me say that we are so thankful to our agency for taking in the waiting children (that no one else would touch because of the terrible reputation of our previous agency), BUT we are more than a little frustrated with the total lack of communication. We were approximately three weeks into the four week wait for a court date, when we were sent a little e-mail saying that the judge is no longer giving out court dates. That's it--they've probably known for a while. Supposedly the judge is waiting to see what the MOWA is doing. Our whole experience with adoption really makes me want to start an agency that is ethical, with FANTASTIC communication, and not for profit. The Christian agencies are so pricey and our current agency (which runs a fantastic home, keeps costs very low, and champions special needs and older children) doesn't have enough staff to communicate well. Such is life!

Only Ana

2011-03-28T04:03:00.000-07:00

Ana has a little play time with dad after dinner before bed. One of her favorite activities is to get two of his belts, buckle them around his legs, and use them for stirrups. Of course, no cow girl is complete without hats and boots! Then she takes off. Tonight they were even doing jumps--I think she fell off every time. (She says she's ready to ride Ellie grandpa!) The constant stream of giggles is priceless.

One day last week we bought "The Black Stallion" movie on itunes. (I had recently read this book to her.) Now she thinks that people go around riding horses with no saddles and no hands (pictured above). Watch out! She's libel to try it in real life!