Yep, we are here!

I am back...hopefully for the long haul. Let's see, what has happened in the last month you ask??? Oh nothing! Just kidding. Right before my last post, we had my niece's Bat Mitzvah. The girls had SO much fun. Orange never stopped dancing..and I mean never. She danced for about 4 hours straight and enjoyed the attention from her cousin's friends. Lemon danced a lot too but did lose steam at some point. We had such a good weekend, lots of family and friends came in and it was really, really good to see all of them. Here are some pics from that day and night

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What else....we finished school and are very, very happy that Lemon is going to have a new teacher next year (WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO). The end couldn't have come soon enough. Orange had a rough week or so with the whole ending of school and start of camp. Transitions continue to be hard for her...no matter what they are. The good news is that she comes out of it faster and I (with a little help from a friend) recognize it much quicker these days. In the past, she would shut down, now she just gets argumentative and pissy! Even though she attended the same camp last summer and it is in the same building as her school, it is still something new, with new kids and new counselors. When you've been through what she has in her short little life, it is completely understandable.

Hmm...there is more, oh yeah!! We are for sure going to Ethiopia in March of 2012. We plan to go with our besties and will be there about 2 weeks. We sat down with the girls and told them finally. Orange was a little excited (ok a LOT). She can't wait. She asks me weekly how many more months until we go. Her BFF is beyond excited as well. We figure we can split the cost in country with one another and plus the girls will have the support of each other when they see their families again. That to me is HUGE. We are going to travel to my girls home villages and to our besties. The rest of the time we will stay in Addis. Now that we have the plan, I am ready to go. I am excited, nervous, worried, more worried and can't wait all wrapped up in one. I have had a lot of people ask me if I think it is too soon for Orange. My answer is that I don't know. I don't know that the right time is ever. I just know that she asks all of the time to go "visit". She makes sure I know that she wants to come home. She misses her family...I can't keep that from her...we will deal with whatever comes of the trip good or bad.

Lemon doesn't really get the whole thing yet but is excited to see her "thopia Mom"...who apparently was really fun during their 6 weeks together before she was relinquished. Lately, Lemon has been sharing what she did in "thopia". She went parachuting with her mom, went swimming, ate carrots, listened to Camp Rock and ate Mataka. You ask what Mataka is...well duh...it is Pop Tart in Ethiopia!!! Orange  looks at her like she is completely crazy and rolls her eyes!

I have more to say about the girls but I need to ease back into this blogging thing. Hope all my 2 readers are still out there!