Wordless Wednesday

Enkutatash- The Outtakes

Yesterday was our local Enkutatash (Ethiopian New Year) Celebration. The celebration is hosted by a group that provides supports for Ethiopian immigrants in our area, and serves not only as a celebration of the holiday, but also as a fundraiser for the group. Several of my friends- fellow adoptive moms and dads- are also involved with the group. Two of them are photographers and donated their services for the event. In exchange for a donation to the group, they took photos. So we tried for a photo with the kids together.......

To set the scene- large room, somewhat crowded and the photo backdrop is by the door so there is a stream of people walking by. Music playing loudly throughout the room (so A is completely overstimulated), K and D both want cupcakes (which they can't have till after photos) and they had fallen asleep on the way to the celebration so were still cranky from waking up and X who LOVES the photographer is too busy fooling around to actually listen to what he is being told to do. I feel like I should have doubled (or tripled) my donation and his patience with my kids was legendary. Hopefully when we get the photos back from him there will be something good ('cause he tried like crazy to get a good one)

Until we get the "official" photos- here are the "outtakes" from the photo shoot

I think we will keep looking for the photo for the Christmas card this year

Weekend Wisdom

"The ideal of a color-blind society is a pale imitation of a greater grander ideal: where our skin will be neither a badge for undue privilege nor a sign of social stigma. But we can strive for a society where each receives his or her just due, where the past in all its glory and grief is part of the equation of racial justice and social equality. Then we won't need to be blind to color, which in any case is a most morbid state of existence. Then we can embrace our history and ideals with the sort of humane balance that makes democracy more than a distant dream."

-Michael Eric Dyson

Cuteness from before the P-flap

I found this video of D from right before she had her p-flap surgery. I really have not noticed a big difference in her speech (although EVERYONE else does) but watching her here I realize how much the surgery has improved her speech. I will try to get her to perform an encore so you can see the difference. But what she lack in articulation she makes up for in cuteness and enthusiasm

Wordless Wednesday

I Need Africa More than Africa Needs Me

Think about it....

Melkam Addis Amet!!!! Happy 2003!!!

Today is Ethiopian New Year so Happy New Year, Everyone. Our local celebration is actually next week but as today is the official New Year's Day (for at least a few hours more) I wanted to wish everyone Melkam Addis Amet!!

For more on the Ethiopian calendar (and if you like puzzles you will love this)

From Wikipedia:

The Ethiopian calendar also called the Ethiopian Ge'ez calendar, is the principal calendar used in Ethiopia and also serves as the liturgical calendar for Christians in Eritrea belonging to the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church, Eastern Catholic Church and Lutheran Evangelical Church of Eritrea. It is based on the older Alexandrian or Coptic calendar, which in turn derives from the Egyptian calendar, but like the Julian calendar, it adds a leap day every four years without exception, and begins the year on August 29 or August 30 in the Julian calendar. A seven- to eight-year gap between the Ethiopian andGregorian calendars results from alternate calculations in determining the date of the Annunciation of Jesus.

Like the Coptic calendar, the Ethiopian calendar has twelve months of 30 days each plus five or six epagomenal days, which comprise a thirteenth month. The Ethiopian months begin on the same days as those of the Coptic calendar, but their names are in Ge'ez. The sixth epagomenal day is added every four years without exception on August 29 of the Julian calendar, six months before the Julian leap day. Thus the first day of the Ethiopian year, 1 Mäskäräm, for years between 1901 and 2099 (inclusive), is usually September 11 (Gregorian), but falls on September 12 in years before the Gregorian leap year.

The current year according to the Ethiopian calendar is 2002, which began on September 11, 2009 AD of the Gregorian calendar. The year 2003 will begin on September 11, 2010.