Our Christmas... American and Ethiopian style!

I know each one of you have been DYING to know how our Christmas went, so I think I have made you wait long enough... so here are the details!

We made a last minute decision to go to Oklahoma for Christmas. That side hasn't seen the kids since last Christmas. I guess Indiana is not a major tourist destination... who knew? Also, Monte's sister had a baby in July, so I have been wanting to get my hands on that little guy. The only problem is that Monte started a new job in September and he has NO vacation days. So that means a very quick exhausting trip...

We left Christmas Eve and drove the 11 hours southwest to Monte's mom and step dad's house. We spent Christmas day with family (picture below) and then we made the 11 hour trip home on the 26th. Yes, we are INSANE! The kids are wonderful travelers... oh and the dog too!

Because I know you are probably wondering... Monte's step dad (Eddie) has two daughters (Niki and Stacie) and each of them are married/dating African American men (Mike and Monte, yup we have two Monte's in our fam). Mike and Monte each have one son (Malachi was with his mom this year). There is more... my step father-in-law and brother-in-law are Native Americans. How cool is that? Now THAT is a multicultural family!

On January 7th we celebrated Ganna (Ethiopian Christmas) at a local Ethiopian restaurant with 8 other families that adopted from Ethiopia. Here are my five before everyone arrived!

Here is the crowd. There were 38 of us! I am so thankful for such an amazing support system. These people "get me" and I love it.

Because of our whirwind trip to Oklahoma, I saved the kids' stocking for Ganna. I know stocking are not an Ethiopian thing, but sometimes you just need to be flexible!

I hope everyone's week is off to a great start!!

My Christmas Present

Last year Monte bought me a nice camera. I {LOVE} my camera, but I have always kept it on the automatic mode. I had no clue how to really use it, but I knew I was missing out on most of its functions. Monte is always telling me that I have an eye for photography, so my Christmas present was an eight sessions photography class that I took in November.

Our first asignment was to take it off the automatic mode. At that moment I should of ran out of class and never looked back.

I am joking... a little.

I really enjoyed the class, but I often left class very overwhelmed with all the information that was given. The one major thing I did learn during those 8 weeks is that maybe photography isn't my calling. Too often my pictures look like these:

Yes, those were all meant to be pictures! So... now you are understanding where I am coming from, huh? I am thinking that the automatic mode was created for people like me who can pretend they know what they are doing! Needless to say, I have a LONG way to go! I'll keep you posted on my progress... if there is any. :-)

A Busy December

It is truly no wonder that I sleep very well at night. We have been so busy! These five little people keep us running, a lot. Don't think that I am complaining though, because I LOVE it! Isaac and John are both in basketball this winter. They are on different teams and practice on different nights. This is a big part of our running around! It is their first time playing and they are really enjoying it! The girls continue to take dance class (ballet and jazz). The boys just finished up their art class for the semester. Isaac is still in guitar and doing very well.

The three boys had their first piano recital at the beginning of the month. They practiced very hard for it. I hate seeing them grow up so fast, but I love how mature and independent they are becoming. We took video of it, but my lack of computer knowledge keeps the footage on the video recorder and not on my blog. Maybe when I have time I'll figure it out!
Anyway, here are some pictures...

This past Sunday the girls made their singing and acting debut in our church's Christmas program.
They were.... angels!
Here they are practicing before they went on stage.

Can you see Chloe's face in this picture? She was not sure about all the attention. Hannah had a hard time looking at the director and paying attention. She was too busy checking out what everyone was wearing. It looked like she found some shoes she would like to own!

Chloe warmed up quickly and really enjoyed it! I was surprised, because she usually does not like any attention directed toward her. She has grown up so much in the last 17 months! Hannah's still in outer space checking out the girl's hair behind her. She did sing for some of it and has no problem with being in the spot light.

Here are the girls playing in the snow. We have gotten a lot of snow already this year with more coming today and Christmas Eve. Chloe looks like she is going to hit Hannah with a big snow ball, but, trust me, I put a stop to that! This is the girls' second winter season and the novelty of the snow has worn off for Hannah. She more often than not will stay inside while the other kids go out. She HATES being cold. If she does go outside, her time usually ends in tears because she is cold.

We have been doing a lot of baking this year. Last year we were all in a post-adoption fog, so we are making up for it this year. Also, I have been cooking Ethiopian food. We all really enjoy it, but it takes HOURS to make! I have some really easy recipes if anyone is interested.

Here is a sample of the cookies we have been making!

Here is our Christmas card for this year!

I am going to take a break from world wide web for the next two weeks and focus on the six people that I love! I really want to blog with more consistency in the coming year. I have so much floating around in this brain of mine that I really want to share!

MERRY CHRISTmas my dear friends and family!

Christmas in Oklahoma

Originally we were going to leave for Oklahoma on the morning of Christmas Eve, but when we found out that they were going to be getting blizzard like conditions that day we decided to leave the night before. We stayed for two days and got home Saturday evening. It was a short trip, but since Monte has used up all his vacation time, there was no way around it. It took us 21 hours round trip, not too bad.

Here are some pictures of our time at Monte's Mom and Step Dad's.

Hannah spent her first day with a fever. That was her only symptom and she was fine on Christmas day. Monte and I had to brave the "blizzard" to get her more medicine. We'll venture out in any weather conditions for some alone time.

Playing in the snow. We haven't had this much snow in Indiana yet. The kids had a blast. Well, everyone except John. He likes the snow, but it was very cold and he is not a fan of the cold. He was already inside by the time I started taking pictures.

My Ethiopian princesses LOVE the snow. I couldn't believe they were out there longer than their brothers. It was 20 degrees and windy when I took this picture.

Spending time with cousins (and Papa)...

Monte's BIL is looking at our photo journal of the journey to our girls.

Getting ready to open up presents... can you tell it was during nap time?

My boys and their Legos...

This week is a busy week. I am getting ready to start a new curriculum with the boys. This means... a lot of work for momma. Also, we are having Josiah start his gluten free diet again. This time we are including John. Josiah was on the diet for 18 months (he has been off of it for 18 months) and for a while now we have felt that he needed to be back on it, but honestly I couldn't do it. It is a lot to take on. I feel that I am finally at a point where I can do it and do it well. I know that we'll see improvement from both of them in the coming weeks. Neither boy is allergic to gluten, but it effects Josiah's behavior and I believe it also effects both of their attention spans. We will also be limiting their sugar intake and eliminating red dye. Never a dull moment in the Alexander household!

Have a great week and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

From the animals...

Of course we can't forget to include the rest of our family in our Christmas wishes...

Maxine and her antler ears. She adores these things, it cracks me up!

My parents are driving out from Maine so they can dog sit Max while we are in Oklahoma. She is getting old and we hate to board her.

OK...

That maybe a slight exaggeration...

They are going to spend Christmas with my sister's family and stay at our house, so Maxine just lucked out and didn't have to be boarded! But, just for the record, Max is spoiled and my parents would come out just to dog sit her.

Isaac took this picture of the cats. Not bad, huh? I don't think I would have a picture of the cats if it wasn't for my boys.

Merry CHRISTmas everyone!!!

Merry Christmas...

This year our Christmas card has two purposes. To wish friends and family a Merry Christmas and to announce the arrival of our Ethiopian princesses!

Our family Christmas...

Next week we are heading to Oklahoma for Christmas. Since this is the girls' first Christmas with us, I really wanted them to experience it at home. The only day we had free, before we leave, was this past Sunday. It is such a great thing that Santa Claus delivers presents to families that are going to be out of town on Christmas Eve. :)

I wasn't sure how much the girls would grasp since we don't focus on Santa much. I did tell the boys that we were going to "pretend" that Santa was going to come to our house, so the girls could experience what it is like to leave cookies and have presents under the tree in the morning. They were excited to help eat the cookies and to be involved in something so fun knowing full well that Santa already mailed their gifts.

All day Saturday, we told the girls what was going to be happening that night once they were in bed. We had a great day. Monte brought home Ethiopian food for lunch (he is a hunter and hunted in the morning). I have to admit a different side of the girls comes out when they are eating injera. They are so happy and content. I believe it is the familiarity of the food for them. They love American food, but nothing remotely compares with injera. I love watching them eat it.

We then made our annual gingerbread house. It reminds me every year I have no chance of ever decorating cakes, but the kids have a blast.

Then it was time for bed. This is a picture of them in their Christmas jammies...

Once they were all in bed, Monte went out to his truck to unload from his hunt(no dead animals, just gear). He opened the garage door which is right under the girls' room. We never open it when the girls are in bed because it is so loud. Once Chloe heard the loud noise, she sat straight up in bed and yelled, "Santa's coming!". It was the cutest thing ever!

The next morning they were all up and ready to go by 7a. The girls really caught on quick and needed no help tearing open their gifts. I am amazed at how fast they have caught on to everything. They are such smart girls!

Josiah and his big eyes...

Chloe eating a sucker at 7:30a... life is great.

John got what he wanted from Santa...

Isaac was excited, but not surprised. Just FYI, all the boys received hair cuts last night. I didn't think about that when I was running around finishing up shopping last week. That would of been a smart thing to schedule!

Hannah and her baby doll...

The three youngest had their Christmas program at church too. They all did great! Josiah was a wise man and the girls rang bells. The girls saw us when they were leaving the sanctuary, but didn't cry for us. They just went back to their class like big girls. They have adjusted to church very well. I am thankful!