Jost and Tes - first hug at the airport

This is too cute, I couldn't resist posting it!

BIG NEWS!

Well, clearly I have not been doing a great job of updating this blog. Part of the reason is because Nick and I just traveled back to Ethiopia to bring home our new daughter, Tesfanesh Valentine! She is 4-years-old, funny, beautiful and a great big sister to Jost (he loves to call her "sissy"). Right now she looks like she could be his twin because they weigh the same and are almost the same height. We are hoping that a few months of good nutrition will help jump start her growth. Here are some pics from our trip.

This is just too much, I couldn't resist sharing it!

1 YEAR FAM-I-VERSARY!

Today is our 1-year "Fam-i-versary" (Family Anniversary). I can't believe how quickly time has gone by. Nick and I are thankful everyday for Jost, even when there are tantrums and diaper blow-outs. I am posting our original referral picture for Jost, the first pic of Jost (he was so freaked out), the first family photo of us when we picked him up at the orphanage and a recent close-up of Jost as well as our Hawaii family photo from Kona. What a difference a year makes!

KONA!

We went to Kona, Hawaii right after New Years. It was sweet to have a vacay after the holidays because a) the weather in the Bay Area sucks right now, b) Nick and I were both able to blow off work, and c) we got to decrease our holiday bloat by hiking in/around volcanos and sweating on the beach. Jost was a champ. He actually went in the water this time versus screaming at the shore line. He was also able to develop a taste for ono fish and poi. Nick's parents and my friend Kim and her mom came, too. It was a great group and we had a fab time. Enjoy my favorite pics!

Jost's California Family Birthday Party

Baby J's 2nd Birthday

I can't believe it, Jost turned 2 this past Wednesday. I took the day off from work and we visited his new preschool (he'll start early next year) and had lunch with our dear friends Christie and Kim. Then, we went to Dreyers Ice Cream for their free birthday scoop. Enjoy the pics from our adventure. We're having a California family party tomorrow and Seattle party next week, I'll post from both!!

Hola!

We just got back from 5 days in Mexico. It was great! All we did was hang in the pool, lay out, eat good food, and bond as a family. Jost learned a new word while we were there "bar" (there was a swim-up bar at our place and Jost liked to order coconut slushies). Not sure if I should laugh about Jost requesting to go to a bar or if I should be embarrassed. :) Here's a couple pics from the trip!

Jost's First Halloween!

We were in Seattle for Jost's first Halloween (my sis is having a baby like NOW and she had a shower). The weather was perfect - crisp, partly sunny and not too cold. Jost was a train conductor and surprised all of us with his willingness to wear the hat part of his costume!

Baby Got Back

Jost dancing with the help of a LOT of sugar (we had cake for dessert)!

Sugar Overload

It was my birthday last week and Nick got me some great sweets from one of the best French bakeries in the bay, La Farine. We decided to let Jost have at it. Here is the photographic evidence. BEWARE - it's not pretty, but it's pretty funny!

YIKES! No posts in a month!

Here are some pictures from the last month. Baby J is getting HUGE. His new favorite words are - "Nooo", "PISSA" (translation: pizza), "Yes", "Gee" (for Boobers Magee our beagle), and "whastis?" (translation: what's this). I also had to add a picture of Jost's friend, Sefan. She is the cutest princess ever!

No Nap

This is the hilarity that was Jost at dinner tonight after having no nap (because we were celebrating Enkutatash in San Jose - Ethiopian New Year). It's pretty funny. And I am egging him on the whole time!

Boom Boom Pow

Jost and I were hanging out the other morning listening to some tunes. I played a variety of selections to see if I could entice him to break out his dance moves. He actually did dance to a Salt N Pepa song, but I was an idiot and didn't tape it because I can be technologically challenged. At any rate, he did a couple cute bootie bumps to "Boom Boom Pow" from the Black Eyed Peas. It's short, but sweet. Enjoy!

It's August and FINALLY feeling like summer

It's been a pretty cold summer in the Bay Area thus far. Unlike the sweltering temps in Seattle, we've been chilling (literally) in the 70ish zone. My tan from our trip to the midwest is a distant memory and we actually contemplated turning the heat on in our house last week.

On a brighter note, Jost started swim lessons this past week at Mills College. The first day we got there half the kids were in full body wetsuits. Nick and I thought this was kind of odd - I mean it's an outdoor pool and it was kind of brisk at 5:30pm, but wetsuits? Really? Then, we got in the pool and immediately wished that we had the foresight to also have a wetsuit for Jost and for us. I thought about trying to take one from one of the weaker looking kids, but that seemed wrong and unkind. So, we powered through the lesson. Jost is definitely into the pool. He thinks it's cool to be passed back and forth between Nick and I. He also thinks it's funny to watch all the parents making weird faces and noises at their kids in a vain attempt to get their kid to blow bubbles. Jost, on the other hand, is above blowing bubbles. He would rather practice his back stroke or butterfly. Well, not really. Mostly he just wants to play with toys in the water and cling to my neck when I attempt to submerge his head. Overall, he's doing a really great job. What Nick and I don't understand is why we are paying $85 for lessons when we get about 10 seconds of instructor time per lesson and basically screw around in the water and sing songs? At any rate, it's fun to get in the water everyday and it's finally warming up here so I will no longer have to contemplate stealing from children when we resume our class on Monday.

I don't have a waterproof camera so we don't have any pictures of Jost in the pool, but I am posting a picture of him at dinner with me and Auntie Kim from last Thursday. I think his smile is so large because I am holding a bowl of ice cream while taking that shot. It would be like my smile if someone were dangling a pair of Manolos in front of my face.

At any rate we are going to enjoy swimming lessons, eating dinner outside and having fun as a family. :)

Brand new Jost dancing video!!

Jost loves "Mercy" by Duffy. Check out his slick moves!

Picture of Midwest Vacay - Minneapolis style

Pictures from Midwest Vacay - Michigan style