Fun Times

Tatem's 1st Horse Ride at Highlands Ranch Days

Zoey took her 1st Horse Ride at Highlands Ranch Days! They both loved and it and were very excited.

Zoey and Tatem taking their 1st Hay Ride at Highlands Ranch Days
Lots of laughs snuggling on the couch!!

Tatem looooooves his big sister!

Zoey got her face painted for the 1st time at a Winter Park Labor Day Festival

A few of my favorite things lately are our paintings that we got from an art gallery in Ethiopia. We just got them back from being framed. This picture is a painting of the countryside flowers that bloom in Ethiopia in the Spring. I love this painting with the yellow flowers. We have had a huge space above our couch in the family room just waiting for a painting from Ethiopia. I am thrilled to look at this picture all day since I spend all of my time in the kitchen these days!! The picture makes me smile! Come and see it....

We put this painting in our formal living room. We thought it was beautiful and we thought Zoey would especially treasure it.
A city scene of Ethiopia that also has the tiny well-proportioned ET flag on the top which was a key part of the painting for Zoey and Tatem we think.

Lots of good times playing together in the basement and just being crazy!
Not always some happy moments either, what can I say they fight like siblings too!

Can you believe it??? I always need to add photos of some of the things the devil has tried to throw at us since we have gotten back from Ethiopia and this is one of those things!! I was wringing out a towel one day in the sink and I pressed down to get the water out. To my shock the sink completely fell out of the granite. I literally stood there in disbelief and just looked at the hole in amazement. I couldn't believe it. I left the bathroom came back and just stared and then I started laughing. I called Wade laughing and that is when he truly realized that I have turned into a crazy women since we have been home with 5 kids. I was laughing at yet another fix-it job that only cost $175 to get adhered again!! Add it to the lice hell that ended up finally costing about $600 when it was all said and done, shower head fix job that cost $325, $300 granite crack fix from someone standing on the counter and so on since we have been back!

Bryce got braces on his top front teeth this week and he couldn't be a prouder 1st grader that looks like a REAL big kid around all of his friends!!

Mamma stills needs to get her exercise somehow, even if it's cramming these two in the bike trailer and hauling around 80 lbs. of kids while the other 3 are at school. They were smiling at the beginning of the ride and by the end they were screaming at me, "House, House, House!!" Zoey got out stretching and sore as if she had just pulled us around.....too funny!
And last but not least, from our Little Soles to Yours, 50 big and little toes that are veeerrrrrry busy making noise within these walls!

Promised Pictures

Tatem Mesay at the International Adoption Net picnic!

Zoey's 1st Day of Kindergarten

Faith, Blake, Bryce and Zoey's 1st Day of School

Mom and Zoey at the Park

Blake and Uncle Seth on the four-wheeler!

Bryce and Uncle Seth riding the four-wheeler!

Train Ride at the Denver Zoo

Tatem's 1st Ice Cream at the Washington Dulles Airport after flying from Addis Ababa

Faith and Zoey enjoying time together outside!

Uncle Todd, Aunt Jennie, Jace, Zoey and Tatem

Tatem is so sweet when he goes to sleep, if he isn't hugging us nose-to-nose he is hugging his bear or puppy!

Lice Hell! 30 yard bags of pillows, blankets, towels, rugs, and everything else from our house suffocating those blasted nits and bugs!!

Sisters

Cousins Ella and Moira with Faith and Zoey

Zoey was so funny one night at the park she staring singing "I like to move it, move it" while she was on the slide platform. This was 3 days after we had come home so we were surprised at the English song she was singing! Here is grandma Franck, Zoey and Faith "moving it" in the kitchen!!

Aunt Kelly, Ella, Faith, Shonda and Grandma Franck

1st swimming experience, Zoey LOVES swimming!

Zoey needed new sunglasses like everyone else, right away! Rags to Riches:):):)!!

Zoey is forever striking a pose!!

1st Slip-n-Slide Fun

Never a Dull Moment

In Ethiopian with our dear friends the Andersons, who happened to travel to pick up their two children the very same week!


Dad, Mom, Zoey Abebu, and Tatem Mesay outside of the guest house in Ethiopia

Going Home~finally with all 5 kiddos in tow at the airport!

I have decided along with you that I am a terrible blogger post adoption. Life has been crazy here with lots of "extras" to add to the craziness. I thought that it was busy just adjusting to having 5 kids, getting everyone everything that they needed to start the school year, and just helping all 5 kids to work out the adjustments of meshing them all together but then came "LICE HELL" and I mean hell. It has been no fun and will not be funny for a long time! I thought that I was just being such a good mom by "preventing" a possible problem of lice with Zoey and Tatem in Africa just in case! I shampooed the kids the day we got them and the day we left for home, I didn't think we had any issues though. I didn't realize that I needed to go through the kids hair strand by strand and look for eggs and then pull them out the eggs if found. Anyway after being home about a week and a half lice was found at Zoey and Tatem's well check. I don't think I have bawled so much because of the amount of forever cleaning, laundry, and vacuuming that have been about enough to send me over the edge! Poor Zoey! We have put her through quite a hair fiasco. We shampooed her twice again, dyed her hair twice (thanks to Karen, the lice expert) this was the only way to completely get rid of the nits, and we cut Zoey's hair very short to allow us to get through it. Wade wisked Tatem off to the barber to be shaved. Lice Hell has involved endless loads of laundry at home and still not keeping up with it, another $250 in laundromat services at the "Wife Saver Laundromat" that my dear husband found after I called him at work and just unloaded as kids were screaming in the background and I bawled, daily bed linen washings in hot water for 7 people 6 days straight, endless mattress vacuuming, spider bites on Blake and I from sleeping on the floor for 6 nights to the point that the dermatologist scrapped our bites to make sure we didn't have ring work last week, about 30 yard bags of pillows, bedding, rugs, everything fabric in our home sitting and hopefully suffocating any blasted nit or bug around in our office. We are coming out of LICE HELL hopefully this weekend. We are so excited to get our pillows and bedding back after having everything bagged up for the last 2 weeks and bed will never feel so awesome!!


We have also had some health scares with Zoey in the past couple of weeks also to the point of lots of blood work, doctor visits, and a scare of long-term illnesses. Praise God, Zoey's blood work as well as Tatem's have come back very good! There was a concern that Tatem had Hepatitis as well but that is not the case either. We are still working through some medical issues with Zoey but we are hoping that the medicine that she is on will help to clear things up and we have a re-check in a couple of weeks. Please pray for healing for Zoey and that there will not be any more health concerns for her.


I have many pictures to include. Among all that has been going on we have been finding many moments of laughter and fun experiencing new adventures with Zoey and Tatem. They both are very loving and affectionate and seem to be very happy. As I look forward I feel we will be the ones that are blessed down the road. I will be honest as well to say that this is the hardest thing Wade and I have ever done and each day has many challenges. We have appreciated the support of our great friends and family. We have felt so covered in prayer and all of the support and meals have been humbling, thank you so much and I will try to be a better blogger!! More pictures to come very soon!! Shonda

Finally....Some Pictures

Blake meeting Tatem Mesay at the airport.

Mom happy to see Bryce at the airport!

First family photo after many, many hours of travel on August 1st, 2009 at Denver International Airport! Zoey and Tatem did awesome!

Faith and Zoey meeting for the 1st time!

Dad and Tatem Mesay at the orphanage (Sele Enat) right after we met Tatem. He was very shy and scared but warmed up to us quickly!

Mom and Zoey Abebu right after we met

First Photo right after we Wade and I met Zoey Abebu and Tatem Mesay on Gotcha Day, July 27th, 2009! This photo was taken at Sele Enat Orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!

I realize that I promised to add photos for Monday and now it's Friday night!! This has been an exhausting week I tell ya! We are all working on adjustments around here and each day definitely has it's challenges. Thank you for all of the meals, phone calls and support. We really appreciate such great friends and family as we are settling in!

We're Home!!!

This is a picture that was taken of the kids a couple of weeks ago for those of you who haven't seen any photos of them yet. Sorry that it's sideways but I just wanted to post one quick before I go to bed. Tomorrow I will post some from the trip. This is the first picture taken of the kids together before we went to bring them home last week.

Just a quick update to let you know that we made it home last night without any glitches in the travel plans! The kids endured the trip so well and slept great since they were stretched across both Wade and I. So they were rested and ready to go at 6 this morning and Wade and I are dragging today but tomorrow is a new day!! The kids seem to be doing well. The language barrier is a bit difficult with Zoey Abebu since we would like to know how she is feeling a bit more. Everything is so new and they are just trying to take it all in with somber faces. I know I need to post pictures we have had a little glitch with that but I am hoping to work it out tomorrow.

Coming HOME today!!!!

Today is a great day!  We are bringing Zoey Abebu and Tatem Mesay home to Colorado!  While they were sad (mostly Zoey) when we left the Sele Enat Orphanage (had to say goodbye to friends and teachers), they are excited to see their family and new friends in Colorado.  Mom and Dad cannot wait to get back to the conveniences of home.  Ethiopia is sooo amazingly poor.  So much is needed here.  So we do feel quilty wanting to "get out of here" but we do. There is no place like America, Denver, Colorado, and our HOME (which seems like a luxurious palace at this point!). 
 
Ethiopia will obviously always remain in our thoughts and prayers as the people don't have much but are the happiest, most polite, giving people I have ever met.  They have so little but are happy for whatever they have. It's amazing.
 
Just wait until you set your eyes on Zoey Abebu and Tatem Mesay! 
 
-Wade and Shonda

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Tuesday, July 28th: Second Day in Addis Ababa

Things are well here. We have had a quiet day at the guesthouse letting the kids get to know us and the same for us. We are getting a little stir crazy at the minute though:))!! Life is definately different with a 5 year old and toddler!! Tatem Mesay took a three-hour nap today and then we have been outside playing balls and bubbles. Zoey Abebu LOVES having a "pappa" (as she calls Wade) in her life, I think she has been missing one for a very long time. She has some jealousy issues every time Wade tries to spend anytime with Tatem Mesay so we will definately have our struggles when we get home with all 5 I believe! God will equip us I know but at the moment I am just wondering how Wade will spread himself! They are both adorable and definately warming up to us. We have seen lots of smiles from them both. Bryce is going to have a run for his money with Tatem at the table, Tatem loves his food and don't take it away or a pout and little tantrum will be next!!
 
I am going to have to cut this short I need to get back to relieve Wade right now. Sorry we have not been able to post pictures. The internet connection only seems to be working on the front desk computer and obviously our pictures aren't on this computer!! We had no power the whole day today and finally just came back on. Tomorrow (Wed.) is our embassy appointment and the Andersons are at their's right now. Thank you for your prayers that everything will go well.

Wade and Shonda Donels
wsdonels@msn.com
Wade Cell: 303.913.1432
Shonda Cell: 303.519.6525

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