Link to Youtube

Here is a link to the kids - Julia is singing, Carl is acting out "Peter and the Wolf" and Miles is chasing his sibs.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTmGvOsG0SA

Miles is walking

Miles started walking on Nov. 10! The following day he got tubes in his ears to drain the fluid that seems to be living there. After the tubes, he really took off, and walking is now the preferred form of transportation.

We recently enjoyed a much needed vacation at Wildwood (a home owned by Peter's grandfather near Maquoketa, IA) No cell phones or email allowed. We were able to visit family during Thanksgiving as well, and upon our return we used the unexpected 5 inches of snow for an excuse to stay indoors and build a gingerbread town (which is actually graham crackers).

Julia and Carl at Wildwood, Thanksgiving 2008


Julia, Miles and cousin Alison (also a Holt adoptee)



snow day project - yummy!

Miles turns 1!

Happy 1st Birthday Miles! We also have a family pic that we sent to Africa. Enjoy!

Awesome fall weather

Hello friends,
Sorry for the posting delay, I went back to work and time is difficult to find. We have been taking advantage of the great fall weather which has been unusually warm, to spend some quality time outside. The leaves are beginning to fall, and since Miles has some cute new ISU clothing, I decided to dress the gang alike and take a few pictures. It seems easier than hauling them to a studio where tempers rise easily.

Miles continues to thrive; his 9 month clothes that were loose a month ago are now tight, and we are curious to see how big he is at his next checkup in late October. He turns one on Oct. 22, so we will plan a small party to celebrate his arrival and birthday.

Joanne

Playing at home

Here is Miles, playing with toys on a happy day. He will try out the daycare for a few hours this afternoon, which is harder on Mom than him.

Cook, bring me my hossenfeffer!

Miles is eating like a champ. A typical breakfast includes a large bowl of infant rice cereal mixed with fruit or applesauce, an entire large banana, and a bowl of cheerios. Same amounts for lunch and dinner plus snacks. He is sleeping about 12-13hours per night with one or two naps during the day. He appears to have grown in the 2 weeks we've known him.

Ethiopian Twang

Joanne and I agree, the strangest, most surreal moment came on our last day in Addis.

We hired a cab to travel to the Hilton Hotel on the far side of town to get Miles a haircut, eat lunch, and otherwise see a different part of the city.

We were able to hire an English speaking driver who quickly dug through the pile of CD's in the glove box. Twangy Country music then blared out of the stereo, driver singing away. (Think Hee-Haw, Buck Owens/Roy Clark kind of thing).

The soundtrack was in total conflict with what was passing outside our windows, and Joanne and I couldn't help but laugh.

If he was going to pull out some American music, he could have done much worse.

Peter