It was such a fun event with lots of food and activities for the kids. Here are some of the pictures.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
St. Rose of Lima Mother's Group Halloween Party
Last Friday, Oct 31, the Mother's Group in the Church hosted a Halloween Party for the kids. Ben didn't have a class that day and I took the day off to bring both Ben and Angela to the party.
It was such a fun event with lots of food and activities for the kids. Here are some of the pictures.
It was such a fun event with lots of food and activities for the kids. Here are some of the pictures.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Latest pictures - September 08
Warm hello to everybody!
Here are the latest pictures of Ben and Angela!
Watching a video
He's getting to be a big boy!
Yet another pretty smile :-)
First day at new school
Till next update. Take care.
Here are the latest pictures of Ben and Angela!
Watching a video
He's getting to be a big boy!
Yet another pretty smile :-)
First day at new school
Till next update. Take care.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Latest pictures of the kids
I finally got a chance to catch up on our blog. Here are the more current pictures of Ben and Angela.
Infectious laughter.
At home.
Ready smile for the camera.
I don't have a lot of pictures with Ben and Angela, so I asked Matt to take this one while we were playing with the kids.
My first attempt at fixing Angela's hair. Not bad, eh?
Yoga pose: Downward facing dog. Something they are very good at.
In the bike trailer - preparing to go biking with Daddy.
Hope all of you are doing well. Till the next update!
Infectious laughter.
At home.
Ready smile for the camera.
I don't have a lot of pictures with Ben and Angela, so I asked Matt to take this one while we were playing with the kids.
My first attempt at fixing Angela's hair. Not bad, eh?
Yoga pose: Downward facing dog. Something they are very good at.
In the bike trailer - preparing to go biking with Daddy.
Hope all of you are doing well. Till the next update!
Images of Addis Ababa
Impressions/thoughts on our trip to Addis Ababa
The people are wonderful and very sweet with children - they always come up to us and kiss the children on the cheeks. Angela was used to it but Ben was wary at first.
Hot. Smog. Exhaust fumes. No or very little/narrow sidewalk.
Drought. Daily power failure. Blackouts.
Lots of coffee shops.
Very, very good coffee (even for a non-coffee drinker like me).
Outside of Addis - very beautiful. Lots of trees and flowers. No smog.
Lots of fresh locally grown fruits - mango, papaya.
Sheraton Hotel. High-end, expensive. Very nice. Sumptous Happy Father's Day brunch.
US Embassy - no cameras allowed. No photos allowed within perimeter.
Very rich history and culture.
Will visit again but will stay outside of Addis and discover the beauty of the rest of Ethiopia.
The people are wonderful and very sweet with children - they always come up to us and kiss the children on the cheeks. Angela was used to it but Ben was wary at first.
Hot. Smog. Exhaust fumes. No or very little/narrow sidewalk.
Drought. Daily power failure. Blackouts.
Lots of coffee shops.
Very, very good coffee (even for a non-coffee drinker like me).
Outside of Addis - very beautiful. Lots of trees and flowers. No smog.
Lots of fresh locally grown fruits - mango, papaya.
Sheraton Hotel. High-end, expensive. Very nice. Sumptous Happy Father's Day brunch.
US Embassy - no cameras allowed. No photos allowed within perimeter.
Very rich history and culture.
Will visit again but will stay outside of Addis and discover the beauty of the rest of Ethiopia.
Le Toukoul Orphanage
Helloooo!
I know it's been ages since the last entry. When you have 2 toddlers in the house, updating your blog is very low on the to-do list.
Anyway, just want to post the pictures we have of the orphanage. It's been more than 2 months now and images of the place are starting to fade. Thank God for these pictures which keep the memories alive.
As we look at these pictures, we remember with fondness the orphanage doctor who took care of Angela. We were told that she was malnourished when she came to the orphanage. However, when we got her (about 5 months after), she had already improved a lot health-wise.
We also remember our driver, Wendy. He was a very competent driver and guide. He has a way with children and Ben and Angela took to him at once.
Till the next update! Warm regards to all!
I know it's been ages since the last entry. When you have 2 toddlers in the house, updating your blog is very low on the to-do list.
Anyway, just want to post the pictures we have of the orphanage. It's been more than 2 months now and images of the place are starting to fade. Thank God for these pictures which keep the memories alive.
As we look at these pictures, we remember with fondness the orphanage doctor who took care of Angela. We were told that she was malnourished when she came to the orphanage. However, when we got her (about 5 months after), she had already improved a lot health-wise.
We also remember our driver, Wendy. He was a very competent driver and guide. He has a way with children and Ben and Angela took to him at once.
Till the next update! Warm regards to all!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Ethiopia - June 10
Hello everybody!
It is now 5 days after we have returned home and things are finally getting back to our 'new' normal.
We left Salt Lake very early Sunday morning (June 8). We managed to fit 4 suitcases in the trunk of the car. Inside the car were our carry-on bags and the 2 strollers we were bringing. Inside the car were also some books that Matt needed to return to the University of Utah library (because they were going to be due while we're gone). So we had to make a stop at the library which took about 40 minutes total and we arrived at the airport at 6am for our international flight at 7:30am. Matt attempted to do online checking before we left home but it did not really go thru (probably because it is an international flight?). So we arrived at the airport with my Stress Level on HIGH.
But we made it and we were off to O'hare for our first stop. We had about 3 hours before our next flight. We were able to have a quick lunch and call Mama and Mom and Dad to say that we were on our way.
Next stop Frankfurt (June 9, 6:30am). We had to go thru several security checks and then we were ready to board the flight to Addis. The flight to Addis had a stopover (for refueling) at Kartoum, Sudan.
We finally made it to the Hotel de Leopol in Addis at about 10pm (June 9). We were all set to sleep when I asked Matt where the adoption agency's Addis Ababa lawyer's phone number is. He would be our first contact the following day because we needed to sign some US Embassy documents and he will contact the orphanage of our arrival.
Guess what! The list of contact numbers is in a blue folder sitting on the front passenger seat of our car parked in the Salt Lake City International Airport. Ha-ha-ha! (we had to keep our sense of humor or lose our sanity!)
PANIC emails were immediately sent to our Adoption coordinator in Oregon. We also sent an email to Mom and Dad in California so they could a follow-up phone call on our request. Addis is about 10 hours ahead so we had time. Internet connection in the hotel was spotty and slow so we were hoping that we'll get the response on time. Whew! What a day!
JUNE 10, 2008. GOTCHA DAY!
We called the lawyer after breakfast (the Adoption coordinator replied within a couple of hours of us sending the email) at the hotel and he sent his driver to pick us up and bring us to the Dove Adoptions International Office in Addis. We signed some documents that he will be bringing to the US Embassy prior to our embassy interview. Then our driver Wendi arrived and he brought us to the orphanage.
We met the administrative assistant of the adoption agency in Addis and within a few minutes, the nanny brought Angela into the room. She is so tiny and cuddly and so much prettier in person. She did cry a bit but eventually warmed up to all of us. We were ushered to the private living room where we had a chance to relax and bond with Angela more. We checked her out of the orphanage that morning.
We were in the orphanage for maybe a couple of hours that morning. At round 10am, the orphanage kids had their school recess and Ben was able to play with them. It was quite a sight seeing him play ball with kids bigger than him. The kids were very nice to him and kept touching and kissing him on the face.
We went back to the orphanage in the afternoon to bring in the suitcase of donations that we had prepared and also to meet with the orphanage doctor. We passed by the supermarket on the way back to the hotel to get some supplies (bottled water, powdered milk for Angela). We had dinner at the hotel and went to bed early. And that was how we spent our first day with Angela.
The slideshow below has pictures of us at the airport in Frankfurt, our first meeting with Angela, Ben playing with the kids from the orphanage and Ben and Angela in the hotel room.
I will post more pictures as soon as my schedule allows.
Enjoy the pictures (you can hover the cursor on the pictures and you'll see the comments I put in)!
It is now 5 days after we have returned home and things are finally getting back to our 'new' normal.
We left Salt Lake very early Sunday morning (June 8). We managed to fit 4 suitcases in the trunk of the car. Inside the car were our carry-on bags and the 2 strollers we were bringing. Inside the car were also some books that Matt needed to return to the University of Utah library (because they were going to be due while we're gone). So we had to make a stop at the library which took about 40 minutes total and we arrived at the airport at 6am for our international flight at 7:30am. Matt attempted to do online checking before we left home but it did not really go thru (probably because it is an international flight?). So we arrived at the airport with my Stress Level on HIGH.
But we made it and we were off to O'hare for our first stop. We had about 3 hours before our next flight. We were able to have a quick lunch and call Mama and Mom and Dad to say that we were on our way.
Next stop Frankfurt (June 9, 6:30am). We had to go thru several security checks and then we were ready to board the flight to Addis. The flight to Addis had a stopover (for refueling) at Kartoum, Sudan.
We finally made it to the Hotel de Leopol in Addis at about 10pm (June 9). We were all set to sleep when I asked Matt where the adoption agency's Addis Ababa lawyer's phone number is. He would be our first contact the following day because we needed to sign some US Embassy documents and he will contact the orphanage of our arrival.
Guess what! The list of contact numbers is in a blue folder sitting on the front passenger seat of our car parked in the Salt Lake City International Airport. Ha-ha-ha! (we had to keep our sense of humor or lose our sanity!)
PANIC emails were immediately sent to our Adoption coordinator in Oregon. We also sent an email to Mom and Dad in California so they could a follow-up phone call on our request. Addis is about 10 hours ahead so we had time. Internet connection in the hotel was spotty and slow so we were hoping that we'll get the response on time. Whew! What a day!
JUNE 10, 2008. GOTCHA DAY!
We called the lawyer after breakfast (the Adoption coordinator replied within a couple of hours of us sending the email) at the hotel and he sent his driver to pick us up and bring us to the Dove Adoptions International Office in Addis. We signed some documents that he will be bringing to the US Embassy prior to our embassy interview. Then our driver Wendi arrived and he brought us to the orphanage.
We met the administrative assistant of the adoption agency in Addis and within a few minutes, the nanny brought Angela into the room. She is so tiny and cuddly and so much prettier in person. She did cry a bit but eventually warmed up to all of us. We were ushered to the private living room where we had a chance to relax and bond with Angela more. We checked her out of the orphanage that morning.
We were in the orphanage for maybe a couple of hours that morning. At round 10am, the orphanage kids had their school recess and Ben was able to play with them. It was quite a sight seeing him play ball with kids bigger than him. The kids were very nice to him and kept touching and kissing him on the face.
We went back to the orphanage in the afternoon to bring in the suitcase of donations that we had prepared and also to meet with the orphanage doctor. We passed by the supermarket on the way back to the hotel to get some supplies (bottled water, powdered milk for Angela). We had dinner at the hotel and went to bed early. And that was how we spent our first day with Angela.
The slideshow below has pictures of us at the airport in Frankfurt, our first meeting with Angela, Ben playing with the kids from the orphanage and Ben and Angela in the hotel room.
I will post more pictures as soon as my schedule allows.
Enjoy the pictures (you can hover the cursor on the pictures and you'll see the comments I put in)!
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