Let's Feast!

Our family is no stranger to Ethiopian food.  In fact, we love it!  We make it a habit to visit the local restaurants as well as the markets so we can make it at home.  And we certainly find Gotcha Day a great excuse to celebrate our daughter's Ethiopian heritage.

Cocoa Puff in her Ethiopian Scarf

Now I'll be honest here.  I haven't made Ethiopian food in probably two and a half years.  The last time I made it was when I posted the recipes here on my blog!  It's not that it's all that hard.  It is just very time consuming.  And, well, with two littles in the house....I don't have a lot of extra time to spend in the kitchen.  So our normal celebration does in fact take place at our favorite Ethiopian restaurant.

This year, however, when we started planning Cocoa's Gotcha Day, my husband requested that I make the feast.  And I welcomed the challenge!

In the past I have only tried three recipes:

The traditional chicken stew and my personal favorite - Doro Wot.
The Shiro Wot - ground chickpeas in an onion/garlic base that looks about the texture of hummus.
The Ethiopian version of a tomato salad - Yetimatim Saleta.

Oh yes, and the Hambisha Bread...which I skipped this year only because the market had some freshly baked and my husband thought he would save me some time (isn't he thoughtful?).

But this year I thought I would really out do myself (HA!) by adding in some of our favorite recipes that I found in the Ethiopian cookbook a friend from church gave me as a baby shower gift!  So I also made Messir Wot (a lentil based dish) and Curried Cabbage and Potatoes (which is just like it sounds).

I started cooking around 1:30pm and dinner was ready at about 7:00pm.  We invited a couple friends to join us, because - let's face it, we can't eat all that food ourselves!

I'll admit, we don't have the best lighting in our dining room, especially in the evening.  I did the best I could to photoshop them, but I'll admit that food photography isn't my best skill!  

I think she liked it, don't you???

When Cocoa joined our family, we not only gained the best daughter parents could ask for, but an amazing culture and heritage.  And we get the joy and honor to celebrate it with her!  We are so blessed.

If you want to try cooking some Ethiopian food yourself, you can get my recipes right here (except the Messir Wot and Curried Cabbage....I wouldn't feel right about sharing them since I got them out of a recipe book).

Gotcha Day

Today it has been two years since the sweet special mothers at Hannah's Hope placed Cocoa in our care permanently.  What a blessing it is to be parents to our little princess!  She is spunky and sassy and always keeps us laughing.  Her personality is even bigger than her hair, and the girl has got dance moves that just don't quit!  I thank the Lord daily for this little lady.  My life certainly would not be the same without her.

I love you Cocoa Puff!

Happy Gotcha Day!

To learn more about Cocoa's adoption, please watch her adoption video or go back in time to read through our travel journals.  Or of course, feel free to leave a comment below (with your email address) and I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

A Year In Review

Looking at my stats I noticed my number of posts has been cut in half two years in a row.  Pathetic according to my standards.  Since you all have missed out on so much of our lives in the last year, I thought I quickly catch you all up by doing our year in review!!! =)

2012: In Review...

January  

-In January we finally celebrated Cocoa Puff's first birthday with a huge zebra-themed birthday bash.  She looked darling as ever in her zebra and pink tutu!

-We were also blessed many snow days to keep us occupied.

February

-Taking advantage of all the holidays, we celebrated Valentine's Day to the max with a mommy date to Starbucks and incredible chocolate heart shaped desserts!  

-The kids finally got to enjoy the great outdoors without the need for a big winter coat.  

-Mom got experimental and we began another chapter in Cocoa Puff's hair journey with flat twists.  

-Daddy celebrated his big 29 with Mexican food and a rainbow cake (all Hollywood's idea)!

March

-We celebrated my 27th birthday, along with a surprise delivery of cupcakes sent from an amazing friend living all the way in California.

-We had even more snow...yes, in March!

-We Finally got all the cousins together again for a big birthday bash and spent the afternoon at a water park with all 8 of them!

April

-This month we celebrated Easter - including a huge feast and an egg hunt in our back yard with friends!

-It finally got warm enough for mama to start walking again, so we broke out the sweatshirts, sunglasses, and stroller for several strolls around the block.

-The sun shined warm enough to risk blinding the whole world with my vampire legs.

May

-In May, daddy finally agreed to let me renovate the living room with board and batten and a fresh color scheme!

-I celebrated my first Mother's Day with my husband HOME, which meant lots of him spoiling and me relaxing!

-We broke in our new ride with a road trip to California to visit the Bentley family and reunite our girls for the first time since Hannah's Hope!

-While in Cali we also drove down to Little Ethiopia to meet up with the Skidmore family so Cocoa could see another one of her Hannah's Hope buddies!

June

-We celebrated Cocoa Puff's first Gotcha Day (June 26th) with a photo shoot and some excellent Ethiopian food, (I can say that because I didn't make it this time =) and also debuted her Gotcha Video for the first time.

-It got warm enough outside for bathing suits, swimming pools, and water balloon fights with the neighbors!

-We spent a weekend with the extended family for a much needed updated family photo.  Cocoa Puff turned on the charm and Hollywood cried the whole time.

-We said goodbye to the Bentley's as they moved their family to Ethiopia to begin their ministry there.

July

-In July we celebrated Cocoa Puff being home for one year (July 2nd).

-We entered the 4th of July Kiddie Parade for the first time along with some of our dear friends, followed up by the BIG parade and our annual BBQ with daddy's work buddies!

-We finally planted our garden (we missed our one sunny opportunity because of our Cali trip) and watered daily, anxious for those seeds to sprout.

-We spent a weekend at Deception Pass with the extended family and soaked up the rays on the beach.

-We spent our annual "Church Camp" on the lake with friends and family.  It was Cocoa's first camping trip and Hollywood's first time catching a fish!  We spent 4 days, and next year hope to go for even longer.

-We celebrated great-grandma's last birthday with us over chocolate cake!

August

-Cocoa Puff got her first set of yarn extensions in only her favorite color!  Time consuming, but fabulously worth it.

-We spent the majority of the month sun-bathing and swimming in our backyard.

-Hollywood outgrew his bike and asked for a new one for his birthday.

-We spent a weekend helping grandpa and grandma while they were caring for great-grandma in her last weeks.  The kids helped pick some corn and feed the cows (with some help from grandpa) while mom and dad prepared dinner.

September

-We finally started collecting some produce from our garden - zuchinni, squash, carrots, and pumpkins!  The corn never made it past a couple inches tall (thanks to the racoons that help themselves).  The jalepenos and green onions just never got big enough due to being planted so late.  Oh well.

-Hollywood started preschool (at home).  

-We soaked up every last ray of sun before it disappeared for another year.

-Mama finally got a girl's day out - a relaxing and much needed break.

-Cocoa Puff started potty training herself...

-Hollywood celebrated his 4th BIRTHDAY in style with a construction theme he has been dreaming up for the last 9 months!!!

October

-October started off with an impromptu road trip to California for our Great-Grandma's funeral.  We celebrated her joy-filled life in style and gained some much needed family bonding time.

-We returned home to a 30 degree temperature drop and all got sick.

-We enjoyed a trip to the pumpkin patch with friends and lots of yummy snacks.

-Although we spent a lot of time raking leaves, I think we ended up only tackling about half of them since there is a slimy trail imbedded in our driveway.

-We spent Halloween at our church's annual "Trunk or Treat".  Mom and Dad dressed as bank robbers while Hollywood chose both his race car costume as well as Cocoa's butterfly costume.

November

-November we were proud to exercise our right to vote once again!

-Family pictures finally happened...and we could be more thrilled with the results!

-Cocoa Puff got her first haircut and hair straightening (don't worry, it was just the flat iron...nothing permanent)!

-We spent Thanksgiving with BOTH sides of the family and enjoyed tea parties, Grandpa snuggles, and helping our uncle and aunt pick out their Christmas tree!

December

-December was more hectic than ever!  Because of our jam-packed schedule we started Christmas shopping early, treating the kids to lunch as a reward for behaving so well.

-We spent the first weekend in December picking out our Christmas tree - woohoo it was a beauty!

-Cocoa had surgery mid-December.  Her tonsils were shaved and adenoids removed to treat sleep apnea and snoring issues.

-Cocoa Puff turned TWO!!!  But we had a low-key birthday due to it being one week post-op.

-We got to spend Christmas Eve at HOME for the second time EVER!!!  Mama was soooo happy =)

-Big Christmas celebrations with both sides of the family, but spread out, made for a fun and festive holiday!

-New Year's Eve was spent at my cousin's wedding and then home a little early with sick kids but an awesome New Year's kiss =)

Phew!  That was quite a year...wonder what's in store for 2013!!!

So what's next with This Domesticated Diva?  Instead of playing two years of catch up, I decided I would just start with the now, and if I have a week with nothing to blog about, I may do some flashback posts.  Sound good?  Hope so, cuz that's what's happening here!!! =)  Here goes 2013...

Travel Journal Trip 2: Day 3

June 26, 2011

Gotcha Day

Dear Lil' Miss,

We woke up this morning so overjoyed that this day had finally come, the fact that we still didn't have our luggage didn't even matter.  Our clothes were stinky, our hair greasy, we were unshaven and sweaty in clothes that didn't match the weather...but we were HERE and we were gaining custody of our DAUGHTER at last!!!

We had lots of time to get ready this morning b/c we weren't being picked up until 10:30am.  That didn't even matter though considering we had nothing to get ready WITH.  We headed down for breakfast, feeling the routine of life in Addis coming back to us quickly.  I was excited for a cup of coffee....and as usual, it didn't disappoint! =)  After an omelette for each of us, we realized that we only knew one family here and they weren't currently down for breakfast.  So we headed to the front desk to find out what room the S family was in.  There were only one floor below our room....so it WAS their daughter we heard crying in the middle of the night!  ;)

We were hesitant to knock on their door knowing they had only been there a night or two with their daughter.  We felt sneaky and a little stalker-ish as we listened at their door for any sign of movement.  Sink running, baby crying, footsteps...yep!  =)  Mike quickly answered the door after we knocked, and a moment later Chantel emerged from the bathroom with their daughter on her hip!  What a BEAUTIFUL site...it moved me to tears knowing in just hours it was going to be our turn!  They greeted us with smiles and told us all about their new addition.  And they were almost as excited as we were for us to gain custody you!  They were just getting ready to head down to breakfast themselves, but they invited us in as they finished getting ready.  We spent a couple minutes catching up...we shared with them about our lost luggage and they shared with us some shampoo, socks...just a couple things to make us feel a little better.  Then we went back downstairs with them so they could eat as well.

In one sense, time seemed to drag by as we waited for Danny to come and pick us up.  And yet, before we knew it, we had only minutes to run to our room, grab our things, and head back down to the lobby before our ride would be here.  And we SURELY didn't want to hold him up! =)  Mike and Chantel wished us luck before we headed out the door, smiles glued to our faces.

In the van, another family was sitting waiting.  We introduced ourselves, and found out that they were a couple days into their first trip!  They told us about their sweet daughter and kindly offered to take photos of our reunion with you.

Unlike the day we MET you, the trip to Hannah's Hope felt familiar and routine....we were SO thankful to be back.  And not JUST for this moment.  There is something about the country of Ethiopia that feels like home.  I never thought I could grow to love a place so far away so much that it would feel like home.  I knew this week was going to go by fast, and I wanted to enjoy every SECOND!  Instead of snapping a thousand pictures on the drive, I gazed out the window soaking in every view and every face we passed.  Hunched over men carrying brick from place to place.  Shop vendors trying to make a buck.  Children riding donkeys.  Mother's carrying their young ones on their back so they can have their hands free for work.  When I saw these things, I didn't pity them.  When I looked at their faces and watched their movement, it was filled with pride and dignity.  Coming from a world where a lot of people are looking for the easy way out, or a free ride...it was refreshing to see a true work ethic.

Believe me it did not take long before we were at the gates of Hannah's Hope!  I handed our camera to our new friends as we stepped out of the van.  Danny opened the gates and just a few steps inside, three or four special mother's were sitting with about a dozen babies, one of them our own!  I didn't spot you instantly, but being that you were one of the few laying on your back, it didn't take long!  You were an angel in a mostly black outfit - sweat pants and a sweater vest over a floral onesie, laying on a pillow and bathing in the sunshine.  The special mothers broke out in smiles when they saw us, but as I said hello, my eyes were locked on only you.  I rushed in your direction and without a thought about the camera or anything else...I swooped you into my arms and gave you a great big hug and smothered your face with kisses.  I expected a glazed or scared look as you looked at me, being that you hadn't seen me in over a month.  But instead I got a smile, and what daddy and I BOTH swear was a look of recognition!  It was SUCH a joyous reunion!

You with Enat

Instantly your special mother's broke into tears knowing that this would be their goodbye.  We assured them we would stay for a little while, even though we were anxious to have you all to ourselves.  But after playing a mother role in your life for so long, I couldn't deny them the opportunity to say goodbye properly.  Even though I had just had you back in my arms, your special mothers swooped you away to smother you with hugs and kisses...and I let them.  I took this moment to love on some of our other friends' kids and take pictures and video for them.  During all this, the special mother's were moving the mats and all the babies over into the shade in the courtyard, so daddy and I helped.  Enat, my favorite special mother, brought out a new outfit to change you into.  Since I wasn't holding you, I couldn't tell why - had you sweat through the sweatpants or did she just want to change your clothes one more time?  =)  After that she laid you on the ground to show off what you had learned in the last month.  You laid on your tummy and held your head up stronger and prouder than before, smiling at us just like you knew how proud we would be!  Then you ROLLED OVER!!!  All the special mothers giggled as daddy and I whooped and hollered at your success.  We had seen how close you were during our first trip and we just KNEW that you would figure it out before we got back.  As sad as I am to have missed that milestone, seeing it then for the first time was incredibly meaningful...I can't even describe the pride I felt at that moment! =)

Your special mothers love you soooo much baby girl.  I could just see them melting as your daddy rolled around with you and flew you in the air like an airplane!  I can imagine after investing their all into you for four months, it was a relief seeing how much we loved you.  And how much you loved being with us!

Soon they broke out the baby food for those 6 months and older.  I was relieved to see that they hadn't started that with you yet...it's such a fun and messy first that I wanted to be a part of!  Before long it was nap time and we helped move all the babies inside and put away the mats.  We asked Seble and Enat if they would record a goodbye message for you after the babies were asleep.  Enat asked if we were Christians and tears rolled down her face as we said yes.  She prayed a beautiful prayer over you (and us) in Amharic...tears flooded my face.  Daddy recorded the entire prayer, it was so beautiful.  Afterwards, someone gave us a rough translation of what she said.  Seble was a little more hesitant, but spoke some beautiful words to you as well...and then Enat encouraged a song and before we knew it all the special mothers were clapping as Seble and Enat sang over you!  A big smiles spread over your face as they sang and danced with you.

I had daddy go out and find Danny and ask if we could leave in the next little bit.  At this point we had been here for a couple hours.  We still weren't caught up on sleep and we were ready to get back and start our lives together.  Tears fell again for the special mothers as soon as we picked up our stuff.  Enat asked to change your diaper one more time, and of course I let her.  I heard her talking in Amharic to you and saw your sweet smiles, but as soon as I spoke, you strained to see me....and I melted!  At this point, daddy offered to change your clothes into the outfit we had brought and a little panic swept over me.  I apparently had forgotten to tell him that I wanted to save that outfit in a ziplock baggie so that it would smell like Hannah's Hope.  He thought it was a little ridiculous, but the staff encouraged me to do it and I promised to bring our two suitcases of donations for them in the next couple days.  She was only wearing a onesie and socks by this point, so I didn't feel TOO bad.  =)  I wrapped the Moby carrier around me at this point, and they all laughed at this unique contraption as I put it on and put you in it!  They told me about how Ethiopian women carry around their babies and how similar it was...but not so big! =)  Danny came in and said it was time....now was the REAL goodbye.  Not knowing if and when we would ever see them again, we wrapped our arms around Seble and Enat one last time and thanked them for loving our little sweet pea in our absence. There is nothing that could possibly express our gratitude...it will never be enough...but I hope they know that they will always be a part of our little M&M's life.

Seble - You - Enat

We are SO grateful for these amazing women!!!

Just like our last visit at Hannah's Hope, we left with tears streaming down our faces and a gut-ache.  The difference was that this time, I was also filled with an indescribable joy, having you finally in our arms FOREVER!  There's adoption summed up for you right there - insane heartache and incredible joy.  And you really can't have one without the other.

I wanted to take a picture with you outside the gates of  Hannah's Hope, but we had already made Danny wait for us as we said our goodbyes, plus we had tear-stained cheeks.  I figured we could get it on another day....but of course, this turned out to be our only day of sunshine.  I'll forever regret not taking a moment to snap that picture, but oh well.

We hopped in the van to see our new friends there waiting for us.  We felt kind of bad, we didn't realize that by asking Danny to leave that they would have to go as well.  They assured us it was fine and that they were exhausted anyway.

Our trip back to the Riviera was rather un- eventful.  I expected tears from you, but you were rather relaxed.  You just gazed out the window and occasionally checked to make sure I was still there (and maybe to see if you still liked me =).  I can't possibly describe the joy I was experiencing at that moment..

When we arrived back at the hotel, it was about 1:00pm.  We checked down- stairs to see if Mike and Chantel were maybe eating, but there was no one we recognized.  On our way up to our room, we noticed the "Do Not Disturb" sign on their door and figured that their daughter was asleep.  We went straight to our room to get settled in.  I took off your sweaty onesie and socks and laid them out to dry on the coffee table with the fan blowing on them and changed you into your first outfit.  I had a hard time deciding what to put you in, and finally decided on a white dress with pink flowers, with grey striped leggings...and a big bow of course! =)  You looked cute as ever all girlified!  =)  You were full of smiles as we played with you on the hotel bed.

It wasn't long before Mike and Chantel came by to see how you were doing, and by that point, we were ready to get out of our room for a while.  We decided to checkout the rest of the hotel and wandered down to the ballroom.  The staff let us in, and we sat the the beautiful and unusual chairs down there and talked.  Eventually, we decided we were too hungry to not eat.  After all, we had all skipped lunch that day.  We decided to head upstairs to an early dinner and maybe go to bed a little early.

You were doing so well, sweet girl.  You were looking into our eyes, touching our face, smiling, kicking, active...there was no sign of fear or uncertainty.  You seemed completely content.  Now, we were still getting to know you yet....but you simply amazed us!

The rest of the day was a little bit of a blur being that our jet-lag kind of caught up with us.  I couldn't even tell you if we skyped family that night or if we waited until the following morning....hahaha!  Luckily it seemed that you were as tired as we were that night.  It had been a hugely eventful day for the three of us!

For your bedtime routine, we started by giving you a bath in the giganto bathroom sink we had in our room.  Since the drain wouldn't plug, daddy laid a towel at the bottom and we washed you rather quickly.  Since our luggaged still hadn't arrived, I was thankful that I put a sample size of baby wash in my carry on.  We used it to soap up your body and wash your hair...all of which you LOVED!  At this point though, I was really wishing I had some conditioner and the tangle teezer for your...the front of your hair managed pretty well, but after laying and rolling and rubbing the back, it was a knotted mess.  I did the best I could with what I had, but that wasn't much.  As I rubbed you down with the oil that Chantel let me borrow, daddy picked out your first pair of pajamas - brown with pink trim and pink bows on the buttons and little teeny bright colored flowers.  We just drooled over your cuteness!!!  I had to carry you down to Mike and Chantel's room to return the oil just to show you off! =)  After that it was a 4 oz bottle and sweet dreams for you!  We were shocked - this was really too easy!

We got on FB for a little while to announce that we GOTCHA{!!!} and headed to bed ourseleves.  We couldn't have asked for a smoother start to our lives together!