The Reason for this Journey!

The reason for our journey.....two incredible mothers who gave birth to two beautiful sons...... Your faces will be forever engraved in our hearts and minds......

Welcome home Nati and Kidus... We love you so much!!

First of all, a big thank you to all our family and great friends for thoughts and prayers that have helped us along the way.

We arrived home last Tuesday, April 1st. Where do I start? I would like to post the emails that I sent during our stay in Ethiopia. Starting with Day 1.....

Hello All!! We finally made it to our hotel. It has been quite a journey so far. We had major troubles with our flights and ran through the Charlotte NC airport and also the Dulles Airport to each connecting flight. What a disaster. It all started in Denver with a bad tire on the plane and it fell apart from there. We made our Ethiopian flight and that was all that mattered. Actually the flight was not bad and we were able to sleep, watch a few movies and read. It was still very long. When we arrived we had to stand in line for our visas and baggage claim went pretty fast and our driver was even there still waiting!!!! His name is Zerihun and what a sweet man. We were greeted with hugs and a big smile. He will be our driver for the rest of the week. He called Tigist when we arrived and she gave us a report on the boys. Nati has had a cold for over a week. He has developed a cough and is on antibiotics. He has a dr. appt in the morning and then when he gets back we will be able to meet the boys. Zerihun will pick us up at 11:00 am. It is midnight here now and we just ordered room service. The food on the plane was not the best. I love you all and wish you all a Happy Easter. I will try to post more on the blog. Funny story about Sierra. Our drivers car and 8 suitcases from the airport!!! More later...

Hello All!! Day 2 was amazing. We became parents today again for the 5th and 6th time.

We tried to sleep in a little this morning, but my clock is all messed up and I wanted to get about 4:00 this morning. Plus the excitement of meeting the boys was too much to sleep through. Zerihun picked us up at 10:00 am and we drove to the AFAA house. Kidus and Nati were waiting for us. The guard let us in and the boys came through a door to greet us. I cannot explain how that felt. All the waiting just melted away. Nati seemed a little shy or not sure about us, but Tigist reassured us that he has been waiting a long time for us and that he is very happy. Kidus took to us right away and will have no problem adjusting. It was unbelievable what a loving child he is and after playing soccer with the girls and catch with daddy, Nati warmed up to us and was ready to go with us by the end of the day. He is still on antibiotic and tonight ran a fever. At dinner he got a teary eyed and said he did not feel well. I touched his head and he was definitely running a fever. We were able to get some children's Tylenol and he is resting much better right now. Of course I did not pack a thermometer or children's Tylenol. Who knew? The boys both seem very comfortable with us, especially Kidus. His language skills are very good. Even though we cannot understand Amharic!! Nati read the book, "The Little Bear" to us before we left the AFAA house. He is very smart and really did well on the sticker books and also dot-to-dot. Tigist tells us he is very smart. We are planning on visiting Nati's school tomorrow and also Haregowoin's orphanage. We had a wonderful talk with Tigist today about the boy's family. Both of their mothers are still alive. They saw the boys in February when they had their court date. They had to travel from Harar, which the AFAA had to pay for. They are both very poor and have no means of taking care of the boys. They want to come to the "going away" party for the boys on Friday. Tigist wanted our permission to ask them to come. It is rare that the children have a family member to share stories and photos and felt it was so important for the boys. We agreed and shed tears over that. Kidus' mother is very ill from time to time from her HIV/AIDS. Natinael's mother is healthy but just has no way to care for her son. This has been a very emotional day and we are a little wiped out right now. The girls were amazing today. I am so proud of them and how they became the best big sisters that any two little boys could dream of. I will try to post some pictures maybe tomorrow. I cannot seem to log on to the blog, but will keep trying. Karen, your boys are truly adorable and loved the cards. Could not quite figure out where the music was coming from! It was adorable!!! I did get some video and the boys had played with our cameras so much that we ran out of battery. I will get more pictures tomorrow. I gave each a hug and a kiss from mom and dad. More tomorrow!!

Hello All!! Day 3 and we are tired!! When I signed off last night Nati was running a fever and was a little sad. Our room situation is interesting and actually has worked out well. We have adjoining rooms and one has twin beds and the other has one king. The girls have the twin beds and Clint, the boys and I all slept in the king bed last night. I guess you could call that bonding!! Nati talked all night in his sleep in English I might add, and even sang a song. Kidus was wide awake at 3:20 and went to the bathroom at least three times!! He is hilarious. The funniest little boy I have ever been around. You cannot understand a word he is saying. We are starting to understand a little more and so are they. Nati has been a little more animated today. We started our morning off with breakfast and the boys had porridge!! All the wonderful delightful yummy things on the buffet and they wanted porridge. Nati has not eaten well, I hope maybe because he is just not feeling well. We then left and went to Haregowoin's orphanage. She really is a hero here in Ethiopia in the world of orphans and adoption. Our poor driver had a hard time finding her compound but finally we went down one more winding rocky road and found it. I had her sign the book that was written about her and all her efforts towards helping the orphans of Ethiopia. Both of the boys were brought there by the Harar police when they were surrendered by their mothers. The boys were recognized by all the workers at the compound and received hugs and kisses from Haregowoin. We took wonderful pictures!! We then stopped at the zoo. This is a very small zoo, but Nati was very excited. They have these wonderful lions with black hair. "Only in Ethiopia" we were told repeatedly.Our driver has been a wonderful companion this whole trip. He has helped us with all of our entry fees etc. and has been giving us history of the city everyday while we are traveling. Nati did not feel well while we were at the zoo, so we went back to the hotel and rested for about an hour. Then we went and had a late lunch. The boys ate really well. Mom, you will appreciate this, the time you said "should I keep feeding her?" that is what we kept saying about Kidus. It was hilarious!!! We then went back to the AFAA house and took more pictures. And the boys visited all the house mothers and their friends. We thought since we had our driver out and about, we would go to the Museum. This is located on the Addis Ababa University grounds. Very interesting!! We had an excellent tour guide!! Great history of Ethiopia and of course, Lucy's Bones!! When we returned to the hotel we decided to try to take the boys swimming. Kidus was afraid of something, we could not figure out! But he actually had a great time swimming. So did Nati, we did not stay too long since Nati had been sick last night. I know we are great parents, right!! We came to the room and took hot baths and got our jammies on and have ordered room service. Tomorrow we are going shopping and going back to the AFAA house. We will eat at a nice restaurant tomorrow night. Nati speaks very good English and Kidus just repeats everything we say with a big smile!! We love these boys!! The girls are doing great and have amazed me by their maturity and how they have handled the poverty. I have talked about all the good, but there is so much sadness and poverty. It really is overwhelming!! Ok, the funny story about Sierra. We had prescribed some Scopalimine patches for her motion sickness and then before we got on the plane, the girls were both nauseated and anxious about the flight. So we gave them each an Ativan. About a hour into the flight , both of them were asleep. Which was really a good thing. Anyway after about 8 hours Bailey woke up and actually had breakfast and read her book. We never could get Sierra to wake up for longer then 3-4 minutes. Her eyes were droopy and she could hardly talk. It actually was very funny!! All of a sudden at the end of the flight I remembered that she still had that patch on. I turned around and said Sierra take that patch off, as she is wiping drool off her cheek!! You would not believe how quickly she woke up! It was very funny and Bailey and I had some great times taking pictures of her. I will try to post later!! Timmy, can you help me get on the blog? Still having trouble. Love you all!!! More tomorrow!

Hello All!! Day 4! It is all becoming a blur! Today we went to the AFAA house to check in and see if we have everything for the Embassy Day tomorrow. The house mothers all love to see the boys and I know they will be sad when the boys leave. They are all so happy for Kidus and Nati!! Tigist told us that they all lit a candle and prayed when Nati got his parents! He has waited so long. Tigist had to walk away the other day before she shed tears in front of Nati and Kidus. We visited all the babies and there is another family here right now to pick up their baby. It was fun to see them also. They are a young couple from Kentucky with three other children. They will be busy also. Zeruhun took us shopping after we left the AFAA house. We bought Traditional Ethiopian outfits for the boys and other artifacts and also some gifts. Zerihun was very helpful and took us to shops that very attentive and helps out so much! Very neat stuff! The boys will wear their traditional outfits for their going away party on Friday. Zerihun drove us through the Mercato, a big open air market, it was complete chaos!! I was so glad that he discouraged us from walking through it. It was too overwhelming to drive through it. The people, the cars, the smells, the donkeys it was quite an experience. When we left the Mercato, we had to find a children's shop to buy Kidus some clothes. Everything I have brought for him is too small. We then went to a great Ethiopian restaurant called the Zebra Grill. It was great food and the boys ate really well. Kidus always dose!! Zerihun stayed with us the whole day until we went back to the hotel to swim. The boys had to much fun!!! We then went to the room and rested and then went to dinner here at the hotel. All the staff here at the Sheraton just love seeing us and the boys. Nati has really warmed up today and has had a smile most of the day. We know he will be our hard one. I thin that Zerihun said it best, "he is not free in his face" . Clint and I looked at each other and tears running down our cheeks, It is so true!! Kidus is a clown. His name is pronounced (KIDEUCE). He is absolutely hilarious!! So loving and caring about Nati. He is a gem!! Tomorrow is Embassy day!! Wish us well. More tomorrow!!!

Hello All!! I have truly lost track?! I think it is day 5 and today was embassy day! It went very smoothly and the boys will be issued their visas tomorrow morning. Friday! Tigist will pick the visas up in the morning along with other necessary paperwork. The boys were so good today at the embassy. There are no cameras allowed so sorry no pictures of the special moment. I have a little boy on my lap right now. They are so fascinated with technology! I think I said yesterday that Kidus' clothes were too small. WRONG! I was under the influence of "not enough sleep" when I said that. Everything is too BIG! This morning after breakfast we walked around the Sheraton grounds and we were by the fountains and his pants fell down around his ankles. It was hilarious! Nati and him are very good to each other. Kidus continues to be our amusement everyday. He really is the funniest little boy we have ever been around. Our driver, Zerihun, even said that he is a "comedian". We did not need to be at the embassy today until 1:30, so the morning was pretty free. We let the girls sleep in while we took the boys to breakfast and then walked around. We went to the AFAA house to meet Tigist then she drove us to the US Embassy. The security was very tight and it felt a little uncomfortable. There were at least 10 other American couples there with many baby girls! Tigist said that the embassy does not like the fact that so many Americans want girls. It was very hot while we were at the US Embassy. I felt a little sick with a very bad headache. Nati has been better at times and then very sad and a little distant at other times. Tigist told us that it will take time and that this a very stressful time for him. The boys at the AFAA house talk about the "going away" party and that they will never see each other again. We must remember that he has memories of his mother and this is a very stressful thing for him to go through. The mothers will both be there tomorrow. Tigist said it is a day that you just hope to get through and want to be over. When we leave the AFAA house after the party we will not return no matter when we fly out. It is just too hard!! The mothers will travel by train from Harar to Addis and then back again the very same day. It is too expensive for them to stay over night. When they came for the court date they had to spend the night and that is very expensive for the agency. We offered to help pay for any expenses that the agency might have to pay. It is rare that children have any family members to come for the party or court date. I think we are lucky for the boys to still have this connection although very hard! We went to the Ethiopian Airline office today at the Hilton and tried to get our tickets changed to Friday night. They only have one seat so we need to check in tomorrow and see if we can get 6 seats or maybe we will have to wait until Sat or Sun. We promise to keep you posted. All flights leave at night. So we should have time to contact you and let you know when we are leaving. We went to a great restaurant tonight. The TOP VIEW, it was very good and Kidus enjoyed every bit of his INJERA and BONSHA SHIRO. He is quite the eater. Poor Nati fell asleep during dinner and hardly ate a bite. I think being sick and the stress of the week have been too much! He went right to sleep as soon as we got back to the hotel. We love you all! We will keep you posted!!

Hello All! Day 6! We did receive the visas today for the boys! We went to the ticket office at the Hilton for Ethiopian Airlines and we were only able to get a flight out on Sunday. So that means we will arrive in Washington DC at 8:00 am on Monday morning. We have quite a long layover in DC. We will not leave there until 3:30 pm and arrive in Denver at 5:00 pm on Monday evening. Wow, what a day. We arrived at the AFAA house about 1:45 pm and Tigist was going to meet us there about 2:00. The mothers of both the boys had arrived earlier and were there already. I don't know how you prepare for such a thing. Right away Nati and Kidus knew their mothers were there and had mixed reactions. Kidus-Ran and hid in the play yard and would not interact with his mother at all. I think he was afraid that he would have to go with his mother. We held him and told him we were still his parents and that we were still going to America. The house mothers and Tigist talked to him. There was a little boy with his mother that we were told he was a cousin to Kidus. He was about 9 years old and very thin. We were told he is HIV+ and I would believe it. You should have seen this poor little boy. It makes you realize that the children at the AFAA house are very healthy and happy. Tigist told us that neither Nati nor Kidus have siblings. His mother was very thin; actually Tigist told us she was much better health wise than what she was when she came for the court date. Kidus and she look exactly alike. Nati-He is still very attached to his mother. He stayed in the "bedroom" with her until she came into the yard and she had tears in her eyes the whole time. She reacted to Clint and I right away. She hugged us and would not let go. She cried and kept clutching her heart. It was so difficult. Nati has very good memories of his mother. She told us of very hard times when they had no food and no where to stay. She truly loves Nati and thanked us for giving him a better life. We told both mothers that we would never forget them and would make sure that the boys would never forget them. We thanked them both for this wonderful gift of two beautiful boys. Many tears and hugs! I have a lot more history on both of the boys, but will post that later. Today was probably one of the most difficult days for each Clint and I, ever. I cannot imagine giving your children up and knowing that you cannot take care of them. Tigist sat us all down and had an "interview" with the mothers and Clint, Sierra, Bailey and I. The boys were busy playing with the other kids. They were instructed by Tigist to go and play while we talked with their mothers. They are such good boys. That is the only time that Nati got off his mother's lap. I was worried how the rest of the "goodbye party" would go. Would we take him kicking and screaming? Both mothers were very tearful when we were down talking about their lives and what had happened when the boys were born, etc.. Like I said, nobody can prepare you for this. Tigist finally looked at us and said, "It is time to go". All the house mothers were crying and Tigist. The doctor that helps take care of the kids came and he was crying and said to both Clint and I, "God bless you". He gave each a hug that would last a lifetime. There was not a dry eye in the house. Fikre, one of Nati's good friends was so upset. It was so hard to see. The house mothers tried to console him, but it was so hard! (Karen, your boys are very special and they will be home soon.) We finally had to just get in the car and go. The boy's mothers were still standing at the gate. Zerihun, our driver, talked to the boys in Amharic and told them, "new life now" and "you will be loved and taken care of". We could not dry our eyes. Bailey and Sierra-What strong and beautiful girls we have, inside and out. They were such troopers. They shed tears and were so good to the boy's mothers. I think they learned so much today. They learned how strong a mother's love can be. I love them so much! Erica and Aaron-Even though you are not here physically, you are here in spirit and there is not a moment goes by that we do not think of you and you must know how much we love you both. Clint and I-We are doing alright. We feel like we have "survival guilt". We feel like we took these two boys away from their mothers and the house mothers. Nati has been there for over two years and is very attached. Tonight at the hotel, there is a sense of relief, that the goodbyes are finally over. The boys are very happy and very loving. Nati is more loving now then he has been before. Kidus has always been a lover. Nati fell asleep on my lap at dinner. Something he would have not done two or three nights ago. We must sign off now. We have two very tired little boys and two very tired teenagers and two very tired parents. We love you all so much and today we learned and confirmed the true meaning of family.....

Hello All! Day 7? Today was very tiring. Our driver suggested that we take a trip to the "country" and get out of the city. We went to Debre Zyit. It is southeast of Addis Ababa. It was good to see another town with countryside. There was more agriculture and not as crowded and polluted as Addis Ababa. Zerihun knew the area and took us to see the volcanic lakes. There are three and they are very pretty. We ate at the third lake area, and by this time we were ready to go back to the Sheraton. I am sorry that we are not a little more adventurous but seven people in a little Toyota and the heat and smells and the traffic was a little too much. We were thankful to Zerihun because Nati actually has 2 uncles and a grandmother that lives in Debre Zyit, so it is a special place for us all. It is a very different atmosphere there from Addis. The boys did really well today. It was a long day. Nati is acting out a little, testing the waters. We did multiplication tonight at dinner, he is a very smart boy. We returned to the Sheraton about 3:00pm and went swimming. We are just ready to go home. We miss everyone and want the boys to see their new home and get adjusted. We will spend tomorrow at the hotel, maybe swimming and packing. We will leave for the airport about 6:00 pm. Check in is at 7:00pm and the flight will leave at 10:00pm. We will arrive at Dulles in Washington DC at 8:15 am. We will look for an earlier flight but the clerk at the Ethiopian Airline counter said that the 3:00 pm flight was all they had. We will call you parents as soon as we are on US soil. Not long now....

We arrived in Denver at 5:00 pm on Monday night and we had planned on meeting Erica at the airport, which we did. We also had a great surprise, my aunt Susie, uncle Kenny and cousin Robin with her son Dillon were all there with a big sign welcoming us home. Thank you so much to all of you to make our homecoming more memorable. We then drove to Ft. Collins and met Grandma and Grandpa Frihauf, aunt Karla, Jeremy, Jace, Jenner and Brittnee, aunt Julie, uncle Bryan, Abby and Alex. Thank you all so much for being a part of our homecoming!!

We had to spend the night in Ft Collins because I-80 was closed. Actually turned out to be a good thing. We were exhausted!!

The boys have been home now for 5 days and I think are doing exceptionally well. Kidus has had a few temper tantrums but we have worked through them and Nati has been such a good brother. I will post more later....this mommy needs to get to bed.