Our Latest Family Photos!

A mom from the school I work at offered to take some photos of Mehandis to add to her website.  She thought he seemed quite photogenic.  How could I argue with that?

I mentioned that our family typically takes our family professional pics in March... so we got to join in on the fun.  She didn't mention how photogenic Michael and I would be though.  Hmmm...

We met at a local park (soon to be renovated swimming pool too!) in our neck of the woods.  It was a gorgeous Sunday morning.  And I think our fam is pretty gorgeous too. 

We had to keep an eye out for dog walkers, bikers and joggers.  But they were all friendly enough.

A playground is nearby, which I am glad Mehandis did not realize until we moved from the bridge.  Many of the playground shots show a bit of sand on his face.  Wonder why?

It was a very fun morning... and if anyone is looking for a kid-friendly, willing to travel to location, affordable photographer... just let me know!

And no this really isn't meant to be a commercial.  We truly had a lot of fun... and are happy with the photo memories that follow :)

Lucky "7" on St. Patrick's Day!

My mom just sent me a note to let me know that we are now "officially" number 7 on the "unofficial" list!  Pretty appropo for St. Paddy's Day I say.  May the luck of the Irish stick with us for a bit longer ;)

Lesson Learned...

Probably shouldn't ask men, who have been drinking green beer, to take photos at the end of a St. Patrick's Day Parade.  Jury does still stand on requesting the assistance of said men at the beginning of the parade.  Evidence for justification follows...

Guess he wanted to show who the bossy one ordering everyone around was?

Then how slow they were to follow aforementioned bossy person's orders?

But wait, maybe we don't have it quite right.

Pretty good...

But let's do one more to really annoy the men-folk.

I didn't look at these pics until yesterday, several days after the St. Patrick's Day Parade that Jen, Emily and Hannah joined us for.  I better understood why the kind photo journaling gentleman told me he took a number of photos and really liked my camera.  Guess he wanted to see all it could do.

We did have a chilly celebration together at the parade but celebrated nonetheless!  So glad to have some friends join us for parade watching and candy grabbing fun.  Mehandis tried to keep warm by...

Doing a bit of Irish dancing and jump/jump/jump arounding.

Jen's family followed suit by self proclaimed Irish jig moves and Mom-mandated Tootsie Roll dives!

We even found our little pot of gold when Mehandis was given a potatoe from a parade walking girl, whom was impresed by his moves.  And then the adults received chocolate coins from Ultimate Confections.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

Ethiopian Cross-Country Skiing Olympian

Very cool snippet out of a recent newsletter from our agency -

"For the second time in Ethiopia's history, the country was represented at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver by Robel Zemichael Teklemariam, a cross-country skier. He is the first athlete to represent Ethiopia in any event at the Winter Olympics ever since his 2006 Winter Olympics debut in Turin, Italy.
The 35-year-old skier moved to the United States with his family at the age of nine but has stayed in touch with his Ethiopian roots. He still speaks fluent Amharic and founded the Ethiopian Ski Association, an organization dedicated to Ethiopian skiers in all levels of competition.

Although Ethiopia is much more well-known for its appearances at the Summer Olympics, Teklemariam believes that if Ethiopian male and female runners have been able to win Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in 5, 10 and 15 kilometer races and marathons, they could also excel in other high endurance sports, like cross-country skiing.
For more information about Teklemariam and his journey to the 2010 Olympics, read his blog at - One Winter, Five Dreams."

Feeling Loved

I missed a Valentine entry, but nonetheless want to take some time to reflect on some of the recent ways, both big and small, that people display their kindness.

• A stranger volunteered to help me get out of a tight parking spot.
• A teacher sent my name home on a class list for Valentine's Day... which resulted in many smiling children coming to deliver their treats/cards to my room.
• My sister-in-law decided to keep her germs to herself (insert smile here)!
• A friend donned a feather boa with me as well as heart-to-heart conversation.
• My husband told me I looked nice as I got ready to leave for an out of town conference.
• Two strangers stopped me yesterday to tell me how much they liked my hair (now that is a good hair day).
• A co-worker took time to share some of the compliments that families have given me.
• Michael's parents sent Michael and I some hysterical Valentine tattoos.
• Another sister-in-law is bringing chocolate cake and ice cream to share with us!
• A friend who is terribly allergic to cats offered heart felt FB sympathy regarding Chewy's recent passing.
• The school librarian keeps ordering CD's and sharing artists that he think I would like.
• My uncle is patient when Mehandis hangs up the phone during our conversation.
• The students who "work" with my preschoolers always come with a smile on their face and an eagerness to help.
• Many kind words of support and caring have been shared with us as we inch along our waiting list... some messages coming from individuals that I haven't spoken to/seen in over 20 years.
• Lots of leg hugs and knee kisses coming from our little boy - as this is where his hugs and kisses reach.

Cold but Cozy

We haven't gotten to Michael's parents cabin since Christmas time, so we jumped at the chance for some time to hang at the "compound" this past weekend.  We were excited to host our good friend Lucia, whom was excited herself to escape the blanket of white surrounding her home in Washington DC.

Lucia, a roommate of mine from college, did arrive a day late due to snow delays... but just in time for cabin fun!  Other college friends were able to join us as well.

Mehandis could not resist in joining us for picture poses.  But he was fast asleep by the time we made it to the hot tub. 

Brr... was a lot colder getting into the hot tub than getting out.  Thanks goodness for the creative coverups we crafted up that night.  Love the tracks our bare feet made in the snow.  Maybe Lu should visit her California friends next time she wants to escape February's freeze! 

Later in the weekend Mehandis, Michael and I ventured onto the shores of the backyard lake.  "Where is the water?", Mehandis wanted to know.  And then when we headed towards the ice fishing shanties, "Where are the fish?".  We chatted with some of the fishermen and found that they were definitely biting (the fish not the men).  Also got to see someone drill a hole through the 18 inches of ice.  Very cool... literally.

Sometimes feels like winter could go on forever.  But if we can keep having such a wonderful time sharing those times together... I will take it!

We Are in the Top 10!!!

As of today our "short" unofficial list declares us to be in the #10 spot!  Looks like Mehandis is working on a list of his own... and of course... he is written as #1.