My Birthday

I had a great birthday. Matt came home early and both Ana and I got some nice gifts. Ana got a Chinese jewelry box and a new necklace. I got a new camera lens and some blue Chinese lanterns. Valentine's day here is crazy--everyone goes out and the prices are raised really high! So, we ate in. We had Palak Paneer (spinach with goat cheese), daal, naan, and rice. For dessert I made a pumpkin cream cheese pie. It was a strange combination, but very delicious!

The Big Purchase

I think the last really expensive thing we purchased was my camera. We're cheap BUT somethings are important--like sleeping well. One night I went in and slept on the bunk bed and had great rest (until Ana discovered me at 2 am!) So, we (rather I took the husband along) decided to go mattress shopping. There was a new mattress store in the mall next door. We walked in--no prices on anything. I almost turned around and left. I'm glad we didn't. The owner showed us a locally manufactured mattress that while having some of the great qualities of foreign mattresses (A serta here can run 3,000$) is cheaper because it's made right here. It also is esp. made for heat/humidity and people that don't use the air con. He took some money off. He threw in two pillows and a mattress protector. He promised free delivery and removal. We went and ate chicken rice and went back and bought it. My back says hurrah!!

Choosing To See

I just finished reading "Choosing to See" by Mary Beth Chapman. Some of it was very difficult to read, but I really liked how many of Steven's songs come straight from life. I also appreciated these two quotes as they encourage me as I wait and wait and wait!

Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory. William Barclay.

We're not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be. C.S. Lewis

CNY Day 4

Here are some of my favorite red packets this year!

Looking very Chinese :) (She really though she was!)

On the fourth day we went to church. I happened to to be the helper in Ana's class. All the children (even the really good quiet ones) were SO wound up. After church all the aunties handed out red packets and the kids really went crazy!! We then went to a Chinese restaurant for lunch and were suprised by a lion dance there too. This was the best one I've seen recently--the guy doing the head did a great job! Although Ana was scared at first (it was really loud and really close!) she was glad when the god of prosperity handed out candy afterwards!

CNY-Day 3

We had quite a peaceful morning and Ana actually took a nap. She even fell asleep in five minutes! Then we went to visit a new staff baby. He was very sweet. Ana loved his little toes and fixed his hair repeatedly. From there we headed over to the Wongs for dinner.

Dinner included pork knuckle, duck, ham, eggs, rice, rice noodles, a special red soup, and vegetables. Delicious!
Ana and Joshua had to show off their chopstick skills!!

We were told this dish is very Singaporean. It's shredded vegetables topped with a plum sauce, oil, cinnamon, pepper, and raw salmon. Very Yummy! You are supposed to "toss" it and say happy things like "Big Bonus" or "Long Life."

Here's a pre-tossing view!

Here's the sweet little baby!

Adoption Update

For those of you we haven't spoken with lately, here's the latest!

-The Ethiopian courts are now requiring a death certificate for the parents of the children. It's not impossible to get, but much more difficult as you are supposed to have two pictures of the deceased person. Some of these children do not remember there parents. Therefore, the Ethiopian orphanage (not our agency) will try to find the people that dropped them off and get the necessary information from them. This of course takes time. In China's case it could be exceedingly difficult.
-The Ministry of Women's Affairs is now threatening to not give any more approval letters until all adoptive parents have caught up on their post placement reports. (You do four the first year and then one every year until they are 18).
-The US embassy is now investigating and/or requiring more information on 90% of all Ethiopian adoptions! While it used to be about four weeks from court to embassy appointment, it can now be much longer. One family that passed court in late Nov. still has not been invited for their embassy appointment!

To sum it all up: We have no idea when we'll be traveling and/or coming to the States. We are glad it does seem that it will not interfere with our upcoming India trip!

Chinese New Year

A free slideshow by Smilebox

Chinese New Year can be a little slow if you don't have a bunch of reunion dinners to attend. A lot of the shops close for a couple of days (although each year more stores stay open). We went out in the early mornings and were glad to be going home as great herds of people were going out!