Safari

We don't seem to make it to a zoo too often, but on this vacation we hit the San Diego Outdoor Safari Park. It's about 1800 acres and ended up being a great day, even if it wasn't near the beach.

Selfies

...what happens when an 11 year old gets both your phone and your sunglasses...wait, does she have my makeup on too?

Straight As!

My favorite text string of the day. 

Pitchers

Much to Grampy's dismay we have two boys who aspire to be pitchers. Okay, just one who knows what that means and the other that wants to be like his big brother.

Left foot

Our little left-footed soccer player is showing signs of early soccer dominance!

Hard kick

Mason had two games this weekend, both in the pouring rain, which a tough adjustment for those of us just returning from California. My favorite moment was when one of his shots was blocked by a kid running in front of him, about four feet away. The ball hit the kid, knocked him down, then bounced back and hit Mason, knocking him down too.

Showing Ermi the ocean (by Kenzie)

I think it was so cool to see the ocean new again and try to comprehend what Ermias was thinking the moment he saw the crystal clear waves lapping at the tan sand that squished between your toes. Farther out the waves roared at the surfers trying to ride them. As he held tightly to my neck he touched bottom but then frantically clung to my leg as another wave rolled over the next. We went out farther and I bent down so that he could kick the oncoming wave and shower us with water. Eventually he was wet and shivering and my arms were tired but I think that that moment as he tasted the salt water as it splashed around him is one that he will remember forever.

Happy kid

Sand

Not sure what's so intrinsically fascinating about sand, but we all seem to get lost in it.

Migrating south

Like warm-blooded birds, every year we seem to head south to San Diego. It's a quick flight and we love it down here. Last year we came here in February, just as we had made the decision to adopt a little boy. Exactly one year ago.

I love the ocean. I love sitting and watching the waves, thinking about the enormity of the world and imagining the experiences the water has seen. I love the beach. I can sit for hours watching the guys throw frisbees, the surfers catching
a wave and the weird guy with a metal detector sweeping for a beep.

Our trip last year was significant because we knew the next year would be very different. I remember sitting in the sand thinking about introducing our new son to the ocean. We had no idea how much we would love him at the time.

This year we scheduled our trip in between my jobs. I have been with Nordstrom for 10 years and start at REI in two weeks. I have been so caught up in the frenzy of changing jobs that the trip itself snuck up on us. Yesterday we got up at 4 AM after just packing the day before.

I think it was unreal to Ermias that we actually were going on an airplane. I would guess that in the last two weeks he asked at least 100 times if we were going on an airplane. I'm not joking. "Ermias airplane? Tomorrow?" "Airplane yes? Today?" Even when we were in the car on the way to the airport I counted five discrete times that he asked the same question. He was excited. Mind you, he had no idea where the airplane was going. I don't think it mattered. We would say "San Diego "and he would say his friends names "Cece and Diego?" And to make things even more confusing, they are down here at the same time so we will see them. It just was too complicated to explain. I showed him videos but ultimately just decided to let him experience it firsthand.

I feel like this story should include something about the airplane ride, but I guess I need to admit that Cindy and I had splurged a little and sat in first class. I woke up to his excited squeals during take-off, four rows and a curtain behind us. He sat next to Kenzie and sprawled over the lady that had the window seat most of the ride.

But the best part was when we took him to the beach. At first he just solemnly stared at it from afar. Eventually he went up with me to meet Kenzie who was ankle-deep. And I captured on video the moment that he realized that shiny sand was only an inch deep and it would hold him. I stayed with him for a while and then let his sister take him out a little deeper (to her calves). I went back and sat on that same place in the sand that I sat a year earlier. The emotions hit me. Here I was looking at this amazing little boy, so full of life, and so integrally part of our family, who was once again experiencing so many new firsts that are almost routine for us. It was a very cool moment. One year and unbelievable differences.

Later that day we went to our favorite taco stand (Taco Surf). I was worried about what to order him because this was another first. I picked a quesadilla, which quickly became his new favorite food. He now keeps asking for cheese! This may not sound like a big deal, but it makes me enormously happy. And for breakfast this morning he ate at our favorite breakfast shack where they served him potatoes with cheese and bacon. No matter where we go now eating seems to be possible. Cheese, he likes cheese!!

Later today we went to La Jolla. We walked out on the rocks, looked in the tidepools, searched for seals in the waves, and watched the pelicans fly overhead. All of these are exactly the same things that we did last year, and likely the year before that. But somehow experiencing them through Ermias' eyes they became more special.

He is talking almost consistently in nearly complete sentences, still referring to himself in the third person. "Ermias have pizza tonight. And Sprite. And French Fries." (Perhaps Mason's eating habits are having a bit of an influence on him as well.) Or "will you get me napkin Ermias Mommy?" And, to see us laugh, every once in a while he barks at us in Amharic with a stern voice and a giant smile. (Truth be told, he could be just making up words entirely, but we like to think that it's his native language.) We have no idea what it means, other than he's a nut like the rest of us.

Cali bound

We are off to San Diego! We got up at 4:30. I counted five times on the way to the airport where Ermias asked if we were really getting on an airplane. Somebody is excited!

The extra kid is our neighbor friend Kilye who hangs with us just about every day after school. Sometimes I don't even notice we have an extra with her around. We have the minivan so why not? Since it's Mid-Winter Break and all of Issaquah is out of school there are other friends down there too. Should be a fun week!

We splurged with some extra miles for two of the tickets. :)

Brothers

Batting practice

I guess it's that time...

Ermias at soccer

He may not understand much of what the coaches are saying but he really does fake it well. He listens to some of the key points and then watches the other kids to see what he supposed to do. It's apparent that spending two years in an orphanage with nothing but a soccer ball and kids that want to kick it has taught him some good ball-handling skills that most of the other kids around here don't have yet.

Snow means it's time to put the shorts on

We woke up this morning to a couple inches of snow. Mason grabbed his orange ski cap and a pair of shorts and went outside. Soon everybody was out. By the time we took this picture it was already melting, which means no snow day tomorrow. What a perfect way to experience our snow of the winter!

Bye school!

Every day Ermias has Cindy roll his window down so he can yell "goodbye" to his classmates. She knew it was coming, so she turned on her camera as she pulled away. This time he spotted a friend. Sometimes he just cheers to everyone as they drive by, but he's always announcing his departure. He gets bummed every weekend because he doesn't have school. He will say "no Mrs. Terry today? No? No school today? Ermias no school?" He loves school. Wonder how long that will last!

Soccer!

Finally Ermias has started playing soccer! He's at the community center. They play inside, so weather isn't an issue. I think we have another kid who likes to stay active!

Car singing and giggling

Ermias loves to laugh and have fun. He is so light-hearted and fun-loving. Here Kenzie started video-taping as he was singing as they pulled into the driveway. As it goes on, I love how he just laughs and laughs.

Catchup and French Fries

It was pretty exciting tonight to go to Red Robin and have him eat french fries with catchup and mac & cheese. While not necessarily nutritionally better than his previous favorite of kale and onions, it does make going out much easier.

Fouler

Mason is doing awesome at basketball this year. He puts everything he has into it, both on offense and defense. He got every foul in the game except one. I'm worried that when they actually start counting the fouls he won't make it through and entire game. The good news is that his baskets outnumber the fouls, and he happily always takes on the strongest player on the other team. He loves the challenge and plays his heart out.