Bravo Lily

Lily performed the minuet 2 in her violin recital last week. It's funny, last year she did the same recital, same group of parents and teachers, same venue at her school and was pretty confident about the whole thing... no real jitters. This year was a different story. She was nervous. She did great, but the violin recital nerves of steel she had at age 7 are history at 8.

Baby Robin Bird

We found a baby robin in a rainstorm... very soggy, very cold, very pitiful little fellow.

The kids honed their worm hunting skills and dangled and dropped them into his wide open beak and I took the less blood thirsty route of feeding him cat food. Henry became the most attentive bird daddy ever. Here he is with dinner for his little baby robin bird.



Henry is more proud of our baby bird then any daddy bird in the whole history of daddy birds.

Yesterday our little bird flew away to join his fellow robin pals in the big wide world. As Grandma Bird I worry... he was a fabulous flyer, but I'm not sure if he was the most skilled worm hunter.My hope is that those million year old hunting instincts kick in now that he is dependent no more.
So... here is my final charge to my favorite feathered grandbird... Go forth and fly little guy... hunt those delicious worms and enjoy them. Find a nice lady robin, start a family, love your happy little bird life!

Disappointing news from Ethiopia

Our court date in Ethiopia has been delayed.
There is not a problem with our case or our little girl, but rather an issue with all cases of our nature. So the Ethiopian courts have decided to all halt adoptions similar to ours until they work out this problem. We have no idea of a timeline as to when it will be resolved and we can be re-issued a court date. Once we make it through court, our little girl is legally ours and we travel to bring her home. Until then we wait and worry. The simple act of joining a child who needs a family to a family who is excited and happy to make them an important part of their lives, is unbelievably heart-breakingly complicated. She needs her new family and we are waiting- not so patiently. We wait and wait and hope and pray for whatever problem that is keeping us apart to be resolved quickly so that we can go get our little one and bring her home.

tappity tap

I seriously don't think tap dancing could get any cuter...
Lily had her dance recital yesterday and for her favorite number it was just her and her tapping buddy, two little girls tapping their hearts out on a big stage. tappity tap.

Confirmations and Birthdays

Confirmation Class '09

14 years on the 14th!

Big weekend for Mary... birthday dinner on Friday... confirmation on Sunday morning. She was officially 14 on the 14th, which she thought was pretty darn cool, we celebrated with dinner out on Friday evening, which ended up being the 15th, but we are nothing if not flexible.
On Sunday morning Mary joined her confirmation class in becoming members of the church. It was a moving service and Mary was thrilled to have her posse come to church to support her and wish her well as she became a proud presbyterian.

Happy Mothers Day to you...

...dear birth mothers of our boys. Although I can only imagine what you were feeling when you made an adoption plan to place your child, I am forever grateful that we were fortunate enough to be a part of it. We are blessed with these boys and can't imagine a life without them. My thoughts and prayers are with you for having such courage and faith during such a frightening time and I hope you have peace knowing that they are loved and cherished by many.

thank you.
thank you.

Mary Rocks the House!

Mary had an awesome weekend... she had a blast playing the part of "Just Opie" as a part of her 8th grade play Snow White. It was a fun stylized version of the old classic and Mary loved her part as the comic relief. We were all so impressed by her acting chops... she worked hard and loved every minute of it! The entire cast and crew and amazing teachers have dedicated most of their after school time for the past 4 months and it really showed in the production. Mary absolutely loved being a part of it all afterward she reflected that "... it was the most fun thing that I have ever done in my life!" You go girl!

Mini Pig Run

Pre-run stretching

And they're off!

Cincinnati hosts a fantastic marathon on the first Sunday in May called the Flying Pig. It is much loved and way popular and the city really comes together in support of this awesome event. Pretty much the coolest person to be this weekend is a runner in the Pig... it is widely celebrated throughout the city. On the Friday morning before the big race the boys school hosts a Mini Pig run for the pre-schoolers. The kids run twice around the athletic field (a big distance for little legs) while being cheered on by their teachers and parents. The big kids man the water stations (a vital part in any marathon!) and everyone has a great time... especially the little guys enjoying the glory of the run. This year Henry's class were runners and Jamie's class made signs and cheered. Henry was very proud of himself and had a blast running his mini pig!