Our trip

Well, I've been slacking...I haven't posted in a while due to our trip. And then it's intimidating to start again because it feels like there is so much to write about. The best way to do it is through pictures, so I think I'll do it that way. Here goes...

This picture was taken the day before we left, just before church. We're getting great photo op's on Sundays! The girls came down in matching dresses. Aren't they cute? I had someone post once and tell me how often she noticed that the adopted child ends up looking almost like a biological girl, colour aside. I totally notice it in this picture...if you could "paint" them both the same colour, they would almost look like biological sisters! :-)

We were VERY lazy on this trip but it's exactly what we needed. We rented a timeshare in Fairmont, BC. We had an adjoining suite to my parent's suite, which was very convenient. After the crazy activity in the summer with bringing Mebira home and saying good-bye to Arvid's dad, we totally needed a relaxing break and that's exactly what we got. We were in bed by 10 almost every night, and spent the majority of the day just sitting around and relaxing (when we weren't in the pool with the kids). This is a rare moment of activity - we hiked to the hoodoos and enjoyed the view.
Almost every night we had some down time and watched some or all of a Disney movie. We got them at the library before we left (FREE!), and had so much fun either watching with the girls, or enjoying the freedom while they watched. This particular evening I thoroughly enjoyed the snuggle. Check out Mebira's sleeping cap - she ties it on every night and it has done wonders in keeping down the fuzz. Not to mention that she looks just like a tiny Ethiopian woman when she has it on - so cute!
Of course we had to indulge in lots of good BC fruit. Mebira is quite creative and was able to accessorize with some cherries. She is definitely a girly-girl. She loves to wear jewelry and pretty things, and still plays with her doll every day. G&E haven't ever been into jewelry or babies much, so it's fun to have a really girl-girl in the house.
We went swimming with the kids for a few hours every day. The timeshare has a FANTASTIC outdoor pool and the weather was great 6 of the 7 days we were there. This was a rare opportunity to sit by the pool and read. I LOVED it!
As mentioned, the kids loved the pool. They swam and swam and swam and giggled and shrieked. We loved the sun and the exercise and the fresh air, as well as the beautiful mountain views all around.
These two get along really well and almost never fight.
The scenery and flowers there are beautiful. Here is a picture of my flower. :-)
Mebira is still a fantastic eater. She has gained 1.5 pounds in the last 2.5 months. Our two bio girls do not love to eat, and almost every meal but breakfast is a battle. It is SO refreshing to have a kid who exclaims at almost every meal "DELICIOUS"! She also thanks God for the food every night in her bedtime prayer. She has obviously gone without food in her past and is enjoying every crumb she gets from here on out. This day she decided to come up with her own creation...Mac 'n Cheese, crumbled egg and chopped up spinach. She devoured it!
Another picture of our three GEMs. We had just gone out for supper at the golf course. We brought pictionary along and played it while we waited for our food. Mebira's pictures are hilarious. If you guess what she's drawing she still has to completely finish the picture before she moves on. And she usually had a picture of Moses or Jesus in there somewhere, too. :-)
We really enjoyed the time with my parents, as well. They tell us they are honoured we'd invite them along. Well, I think total strangers would love to have my parents around. My mom did more than half the cooking, always kept her door open for any available granddaughter to pop over and colour or do crafts, and also swam with the kids in the pool each day. Here is a picture of my mom with her three granddaughters.
A nice family picture.
A silly family picture.
Elizabeth thought Daddy would look good with her dress on his head, like the Ethiopian women do.
That pretty much sums up our trip. Since we've been home we've had a lot of appointments. Hair tomorrow, 4 hour doctor appointment last week, 3 stool collections (total of 9 now!), and the dentist today. More on that later...I'm pooped!