Here's the guys in Taiwan last Saturday when we met on MSN.

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Thanks for the great pictures, Leo...they are treasures!

Spent The Morning in Taiwan

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I bet some of you didn't know we have 4 sons in Taiwan!

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Two years ago, we began working (if you can call it that) with some of the thousands of international students who travel to the Dells every summer for work and culture. One summer evening we were delivering hot dogs to students and happened upon these guys from Taiwan who had just arrived and were standing in their motel parking lot with their suitcases in hand. They had traveled for days to reach that parking lot and our plans had unexpectedly changed to also include that parking lot. Our paths crossed by divine intervention.

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What followed was a summer we will never forget.

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These 4 boys found their way deep into our hearts and became in every sense of the word, FAMILY. Brenin knows them as "brothers" and we are proud to be their American parents (we've also gotten to meet their parents in Taiwan, and as expected it is amazing parents who raise amazing kids!)

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This morning the 4 of them met in a restaurant in Taiwan, and we got up EARLY (yawn...11 hour time difference!) to meet them on MSN messenger where we got to see all of their smiling faces again! For a moment, it felt like I had all SIX of my kids in the house!

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Here's the view from my computer screen this morning...we miss these guys so much!

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Eric, Vic, Leo, Iman

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Eric & Vic finished their Master's in Business last year and are finishing out their 1 year term in the military. Leo finished his Master's the year before and has joined the workforce. Iman (actually from Indonesia) is finishing his thesis and is my BIGGEST blog fan (thanks Iman!)!!!!

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Guys...we love you all and can't wait to SEE you again!

Mini-He and Mini-Me

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It's official...he's the father. :-)

...and just out of curiosity...

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Go figure!

Goodbye Training Wheels...Hello Open Road!

I just realized the irony of this picture...The big toothless smile and a shirt that reads "malaria bites!"

I think you can guess from these pictures what Brenin spent her weekend working on! Now that she's a free bird,

I can't seem to get her off her bike!

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FYI: She's on Tucker's bike, as her's was in the "shop."

(There's a license plate on it that says "boys rule"...soooo not true!)

About a month ago, Danny sat Luca on this bike and she had not a clue what to do with it. Now she too is pedaling around

like a little pro...and oh so cute too!

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We had a great Memorial Day weekend. Saturday we went to Illinois to visit Danny's aunt who is very sick with cancer (okay, that part wasn't so great). Then Sunday we did the bike-riding, a picnic and hiking at Parfrey's Glen with Kristin, James, Garret and Tucker, then out to Mom & Dad's for a yummy cookout, after which the girls had a sleepover. I had to work Monday morning but then got to do a little shopping in Madison with Kris

while Danny took the girls to a matinee.

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Hope everyone had a great long weekend!

The fact is, many adoptions are made possible solely

through this tax credit, and lost children have

found forever families because of it.

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(Here's one of them)

_________________________________________________

Please take a moment to email your:

US Representative:

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

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US Senator:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

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The Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2009, H.R. 213, would keep the adoption tax credit from being repealed, and may make the tax relief measure permanent.

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________________________________________________

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:

to look after orphans and widows in their distress.

James 1:27

On the way to the beach...

...the car thermometer said 83!!!!!!

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Woohoo, we're goin' swimming!!!!!!!

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Cutest Little Beach Bum Ever!

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Loves to play in sand.
Loves to throw sand toys in lake and run away laughing even more!
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Beauty
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The wind provided some awesome waves to jump over and ride in. When it carried Brenin's beach ball across the park, she took off like a rocket after it. Before I could blink, she was quite a distance away and actually beat the wind and caught the ball! When I later told her not to run so far away, she said, "Oh, so you saw my speed, huh?" then in a sing song voice said, "That was supposed to be a secret" and told me not to tell anyone about her
super-hero ways. (so you didn't hear this from me!)
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Giggles by the Seashore
(Okay, LAKEshore...a girl can dream, right?!?)

Weekend Update

I had a very rare treat this weekend in some time ALONE!!!! (gasp!) We had planned to go as a family to IKEA near Chicago, but Danny decided it would be easier to keep an eye on the girls at home rather than a big boring department store, so I ended up on the open road ALONE (do I sound excited about this idea?) All the way there, I listened to my own music (none of which involved singing puppets or kazoo solos) at decibels too dangerous for childrens' ears.

It was fabulous.

As if the day couldn't have gotten better, I got to meet my good friend Nyad for some yummy lunch at Stir Crazy (which we drove to in her cute convertible)! Nyad moved back to Chicago last year, and I have missed getting into trouble with her SO much. We worked on so many projects together while she lived here, but one of my favorite memories is her and I camped out in her basement with super delux hot chocolate (one of her many culinary specialties), trying to get up the nerve to call families of prisoners for the Prison Fellowship gift tree. No matter what we're working on, there's always food and always laughter. She is one strong and amazing chick and is even training to run in a marathon to raise money for clean water!!! (woohoo!)

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Thanks for the amazing lunch, my friend...see you in June!

Me and Nyad at Stir Crazy

(where you can NOT leave your purse at the table)

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In other news, I decided last minute to put a relaxer in Luca's hair on Friday night. Proof, once again, that I have no idea what I'm doing, I thought the relaxer would simply loosen her curls a bit for a slightly different style. Imagine my surprise when I washed the relaxer out and found STICK STRAIGHT hair!!!!! I felt terrible, but rest assured the curls will return and I have learned my lesson (the hard way) about relaxers. She looks gorgeous, of course,

and is enjoying the change. I took the opportunity to give her her first American haircut (a much needed trim).

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Hang in there, Luca...mommy's a work in progress.

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Cuteness.
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First Haircut

Imagine...

Weeds? What Weeds?

Dandelion picking in a Snow White gown?!? Why not?!?

(Would you not just love to be 3 again?)

How can they bring so much joy to them

and so much frustration to their father

and is there a lesson there?

hmmm...

Summer days are (finally) coming and cups of dandelions are finding new homes on my tables, desks and countertops! Each bouquet is delivered with as much pride as the first, and my reactions are expected to match. The lilacs are almost ready, so they will be a welcome change (although like my children, I do enjoy a dandelion!)

My Mama...She wraps us daily in love

and prayer and beautiful quilts.

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She is strong and silly and beautiful in every way possible.

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HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, DAHLIA!

Hair

You won’t see a lot of blog posts by me about hair. First of all, it probably wouldn’t be very interesting for you to read. Second, I wouldn’t have much to write because I’m rather clueless in the area. And finally, I was impressed once with an African American woman’s blog when she said that we need to be careful of the attitude we take towards our children’s hair (referring to the unique set of conditions required for healthy maintenance of ethnic hair and the general sense of anxiety amongst the community of Caucasian parents of African children). She encouraged her readers that our children’s hair should not be looked at as something that needs to be “fixed” or changed or as a challenge or problem to be solved, but rather a beautiful part of their bodies and as an extension of that, a beautiful part of their heritage and something that for many is met with great pride. This was insight I obviously could not have come by naturally, and it transformed my (admittedly) initial anxiety or feelings of incompetence regarding my daughter’s hair care.

Since coming home, we’ve taken great joy in Luca’s beautiful locks, and I feel like I have a new doll to play with! Though I’m used to Brenin’s silky, almost slippery wisps (try getting that into a pony tail holder…like “catching a cloud and pinning it down!”), Luca’s hair is very full and “moldable” and lends easily to creativity and FUN. Yesterday was one of my first attempts at something especially creative, and I think it turned out pretty cute (which excited me greatly because let’s face it, I have the flattest hair on Earth and really have no clue what to do with all this hair on one head!)

For those interested, I highly conditioned, separated into segments, pony-tailed, twisted from the base, and clipped with a small barrette (wrapping the ends around the clamp before clipping shut). Doesn’t she just look like a party!!!

With a little research, I also found beautiful descriptions of early braiding as symbols of courage, honor, wisdom, love and strength and as identifiers of clans, villages, status (bride, etc.) and faith.

I feel fortunate to be able to share in such a rich part of Luca’s heritage, as as much as she has become part of us, we have become part of her.

“Mama’s hair was ready, and she stood up and turned
around in front of the mirror like she was goin to dance or something…

Then she bent down and kissed me on the head.

And she said: I delight in telling you,
my child-

Yes, you please me when you ask it-

It’s a hairstyle that’s called suku.

In Yoruba, it means basket.

I asked Mama, ‘What will you put in the basket,
Mama?”

And she said, “I think I’ll put love.”

"If I fall down will the love go
away?”

“Oh, noooo, my darling!” she said. “Because
the love, like the basket, will be a part of you.”

From “Cornrows” by Camille Yarbrough

More Camping Pictures...

Okay...here's the rest of the camping pictures.

Luca and O'Poopa

(We're still not sure why she calls him O'Poopa, but she chose this name the day we met in Ethiopia and has stuck with it ever since.

If we try and say Grandpa, usually she will correct us and say, "No, O'Poopa."

Luca was beyond pleased with herself when she helped "O'Poopa" build this table to set the grill on.

Brenin went exploring with Uncle James & Tucker. They found a big bear print not far enough away (ahem...) from camp. I trust the volume of our children will keep the bears FAR from the campers (and possibly searching for aspirin!).

Luca and Garret on a "hike" in the woods.

Treasures are everywhere up North!

Camping!

This weekend we headed North for our first camping trip of the year (and Luca's first ever!) on my parents' land near Boulder Junction / Minoqua. Last October, we closed out the camping season on this land, and Dad was feverishly working to get the cabin walls up before the snow flew, and we were feverishly making travel plans to go and get Luca in Ethiopia. It was lovely to be there WITH Luca and the cabin well under way. It's still a bit chilly that far north, but with campers and heaters we did great.

Mesmorized by fire

Luca was all snuggled into her Princess sleeping bag the first night and I asked her what she thought about camping.

She said, "Bee-you-tee-ful."

Luca got a taste of the sweet life and roasted her first marshmallows! FYI: She loved the s'mores (I was wondering if she would because she doesn't have a big taste for chocolate)! Sorry this shot is a little blurry.

My sister, Kristin and me.

I'll post some more pictures on a separate post.