Virginia Vacation!

We spent last week in Virginia visiting Brian's side of the family, and had a great time introducing the boys to their extended family. Here is Zachary hanging out with his Great Uncle Graham and his doggies:

Jeremy with Great Uncle Graham:

Zachary with his Great Aunt Anne:

Zachary and Monica:

Zach with Aunt Jennifer:

Jeremy enjoying a cupcake for brekkies! Hey, we were on vacation, right?!

I'm not sure why I don't have any of the boys with their Grandma Jo-Jo. Hmmm...I think they might be on Brian's camera.  :)  We love you, Jo!

Che-Che, Mama!

Ever since we adopted the boys, Jeremy has said, "Che-che, Mama!" if he wants me to hold him or to sit by him. It's really cute, so we've kept it as part of our family vocabulary. One day, my mom met an Ethiopian expat living here, and she asked her, "What does "che-che" mean?" Her response was that it is what they say when a mother carries her baby on her back.

I love knowing that Jeremy remembers that, and it's funny because when we first brought them home, he used to ask me to carry him in the baby carrier on my back, and he LOVED it!

A few weeks ago, I decided to try carrying him on my back using a wrap my sister made me. It worked great (although he was HEAVY!), and it was so fun to be able to "hold" both of my babies at the same time!

Haircuts!

I just love my boys' curly hair! Jeremy had his first haircut (with us) shortly after he came home, and then I let it grow for the next 8-9 months, just because I wanted to see how it would look. Well, his curls are looser, so rather than stand straight out in a cute 'fro-y sort of way, they just looked pretty. After being asked by an Eritrean man if he was a girl, I decided it was time to take action.

So off to the hair dresser we went. He sat on my lap during his hair cut. Here he is before with his hair all picked out:

And here he is after...my handsome boy! :

Jeremy's hair grows really fast, and he likes getting haircuts, too. So the next time he asked me for a hair cut, I decided to do it myself! (I was emboldened by this post...Go Team Buster!)

Thanks to his curly hair, if my cut isn't precision, it's very forgiving! Here he is before Mama cut it:

And after! :

And finally.... Zachary's first haircut! I'd been waiting as long as I could to cut it, but it was getting too matted in the back, and well...poofy if I didn't wet it every day! Here he is before, with his hair all picked out. Yea for baby Afros:

 Look how long his hair was!

Getting ready to make the first cut:

And after the haircut with Daddy:

It's always a little shocking how much more grown up they look right after a haircut!

Zachary's first haircut! I saved all these curls in a ziplock baggie!

Couple Friends Reunion

Last weekend, our dear friends Dave and Jenn flew in from California for a visit. It was so wonderful to see them! They were our closest "couple friends", and we have really missed them since we moved to Texas. This was the first time they met the boys and our first time to meet their precious daughter!

Isn't she adorable?!!

Friendship is such a treasure, and I'm so glad that in spite of the distance our hearts have remained close!

A visit from Sarah and Maya!

When Brian and I traveled to Ethiopia to adopt the boys, I got to know these two other adoptive moms. They are both such awesome ladies, and I'm so glad to still be in touch with them!

I was so excited when Sarah (pictured at right) called to tell me that she and her adorable baby Maya would be coming to TX for a visit!!! Maya and Zachary were born in the same hospital two weeks apart. As far as we can tell from some paperwork, they made their first airplane flight together from Mekele to Addis Ababa when they were newborns, and they were roommates at the Gladney care center.

Sarah and I were so happy to see each other and for these two to have a little reunion!

I couldn't resist doing a little photo shoot while they were here!

We love you girls, and we hope to see you again real soon!

April Fun in Photos

Summer started early in TX! Here are some fun pics of my boys taken in April that I'm just now getting around to blogging!

The boys love splashing and playing in the water, and by "boys", I mean Daddy, too!