The Adventures of Caleb, Becca and Sakari David...

BIG NEWS...NEW BLOG - WWW.DAVIDFAMILYADVENTURES.COM!

2009-04-22T20:27:00.003-05:00

We're gonna switch over to a new blog...we imported all this blogs' posts, so nothing will be lost, but we decided to switch to more general family blog to keep everyone posted on our life, travels, laughter...and future adoption news...

We have decided to start the fundraising process again and begin saving towards our next adoption. We haven't felt to quite start the application and paperwork process yet, but felt it would be wise to begin the fundraising now. We feel that our next child is from South Korea and will probably use Dillon International (www.dillonadopt.com), a great agency here in Tulsa that has an incredible Korea program. This is another reason we've decided to switch from our David's Ethiopia Adoption blog to a family one. We will soon have about 15 t-shirts available for sale (Adopted As Your Own design - see top right hand corner of our blog for a pic) that all proceeds will begin our adoption savings! Let us know if you'd like one...or more!

The new blog is www.davidfamilyadventures.blogspot.com - it's still under construction, but we will get to it sometime soon! We'll be putting all our new posts, pics, etc. on that blog from now on! We love you all...see ya on the other blog!

Caleb, Becca and Sakari David

Easter 2009

2009-04-12T12:08:00.008-05:00

Just thinking of what we celebrate today....brings me to tears!!! SO THANKFUL for Jesus and all that he has done for us...HE IS ALIVE!! What an amazing miracle.

We enjoyed time together this weekend and a great church service. On Friday my uncle (becca) came into town and got to meet Sakari for the first time.

KISSES

she was facinated with is bald head :0)

Then on Saturday we played outside in the beautiful weather with a new bubble toy...Sakari is totally into bubbles right now :0)

And she played with daddy on the swing...she was laughing hysterically!!

after nap time we had Sakari's very first Easter egg hunt...she was SO CUTE and enjoyed her non-candy all organic treats that we put in her eggs :0)

So much fun at the park!!!

2009-04-10T22:17:00.006-05:00

We have had a few BEAUTIFUL days and we ventured to the park one day so that Caleb and Sakari could play and I could follow them and practice some photography skills :0)

Sakari's 2nd Birthday Party!!!

2009-03-30T17:26:00.003-05:00

We can hardly believe that our sweet baby has turned 2!!! She is such a sweet JOY in our lives!!! She is sleeping in her big girl bed SO WELL and is a trooper at this potty training...she is doing SO GREAT!!! We were so happy that her grandma, grandpa and aunt Christy were able to be here from out of town for the celebration!
here are some of our favorite photos and video clips from her party!!...and the song is Sakari and daddy's song he mentioned in a previous post...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Poop and Our Song

2009-03-25T20:04:00.002-05:00

Sakari has already learned as of today, how to actually poop in the potty!!! She has been successful without any pee accidents for 3 days...she is getting this thing down! And I have to share that we have "our song"...one day while Sakari was riding with me, we rolled down the windows, turned up Amos Lee...and we sang "You're the Only Reason (I Keep On Coming Home) at the top of our lungs...now everytime she hears it on the AT&T commercial on TV with that song...she sways, sings and looks at me...I think this will be our new family song, it's "our song".

Potty Training!

2009-03-21T21:44:00.002-05:00

More like bootcamp. Sakari will love us for this post in about 10 years...lol! Well, day 1 was definitely the hardest...we went through about 10 pairs of big girl panties, but we just set the timer and kept as consistent as possible to take her to her potty. There were several accidents and only a 10% success rate on day one. Day 2, we started reading a potty story book and she seemed a little more comfortable and only had about 3 accidents, and 3 successful pee excursions in the potty. Today, ah...sweet day...she had one, yes one, tiny accident that didn't even get on the floor...she held her pee until we got to the bathroom and successfully went 7 or 8 times today!!!!!!! We had about a 98% success rate...are we geniuses? Not so much. But with the help of family in town helping us keep the timer and trips to the bathroom consistent - Sakari got the concept. Now, pooping is a little different as the first couple of days she wasn't sure what to do, but tonight we did have a poop explosion right before bed, but I think she's now getting more used to what she needs to do. She has been wearing pull ups during nap time and a diaper at night (they just hold more) and it has seemed to work for her. We know that poop takes longer. It's been a learning experience for us too, as we've had to put ourselves into her shoes and trying to understand that she's had to have a major mind shift from going anytime she feels like it to having to sit down and really think about how and when to deal with the bodily functions :) We are so proud of our little one...who is not so little anymore! We love her sooo much!!! Sakari, in our defense...we didn't post the naked butt pictures!

Flying!!!

2009-03-21T20:21:00.003-05:00

Just a few pics of Sakari's fun in the last few days with the fam...flying with Aunt Christy, running with Grandma, a break dance move, her new swing and a random pic of a red bud tree :)

Sakari's almost 2 photo shoot and well check...

2009-03-21T07:58:00.006-05:00

I can't believe our sweet girl is almost 2!!! We had professional pics taken last year and since I started my photography business...I got the honor of shooting her pics this year. We went downtown to a park and to the RR tracks and we had SO MUCH fun!! Also...we went to her 2 yr well check at a naturopathic doctor...she is healthy and strong and REALLY tall! Enjoy the pics:

Spring Weather fun...

2009-03-15T21:49:00.003-05:00

Today....Tulsa decided to show us a little spring weather...after our random snow a couple of days ago...it was in the high 60's this afternoon and so we played outside...

...She wanted to check on daddy who was in the house...but didn't want to go in all the way :0)

The Inspiration for my Tattoo...

2009-03-13T09:51:00.004-05:00

GOD PIONEERED THE ADOPTION PROCESS. WHEN ADAM SINNED, HE ALIENATED HIMSELF FROM GOD AND BECAME A SPIRITUAL ORPHAN. MANY PEOPLE DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY GOD DIDN'T JUST FIX THINGS RIGHT THEN AND THERE. THE REASON WAS THAT GOD HAD GIVEN HIS SON, ADAM, DOMINION IN THE EARTH, BUT THEN ADAM THROUGH HIS ACT OF TREASON, GAVE UP HIS AUTHORITY TO SATAN. IT WAS LEGAL. GOD WAS NOW ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN. THE ONLY SOLUTION TO RESTORE HIS SON BACK TO HIM WAS ADOPTION.

GOD CREATES THROUGH HIS WORD. IF YOU WILL NOTICE, THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE OLD TESTAMENT, GOD IS GETTING HIS WORD BACK INTO THE EARTH THROUGH HIS PROPHETS. THE PLAN OF GOD WAS TO RESTORE THE ORIGINAL ORPHANS BACK INTO THE FAMILY. EVERY PROPHECY UTTERED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT WAS ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE DAY OF ADOPTION. THE REVELATION OF THE LOVE OF GOD IS FULLY EVIDENT WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT THE ENTIRE OLD TESTAMENT WAS GOD GOING THROUGH THE ADOPTION PROCESS TO RESTORE THE ORPHANS.

"BLESSED BE THE GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, WHO HATH BLESSED US WITH ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS IN HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST. ACCORDING AS HE HATH CHOSEN US IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, THAT WE SHOULD BE HOLY AND WITHOUT BLAME BEFORE HIM IN LOVE: HAVING PREDESTINED US UNTO THE ADOPTION OF CHILDREN BY JESUS CHRIST TO HIMSELF, ACCORDING TO THE GOOD PLEASURE OF HIS WILL." EPHESIANS 1:3-6

ADOPTION IS THE PROCESS, NOT THE RESULT. THIS CANNOT BE EMPHASIZED ENOUGH. IT IS IMPERATIVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ADOPTION TRULY IS AND HOW IT CHANGES EVERYTHING. WE CAN SEE THE ADOPTION PROCESS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE OLD TESTAMENT, BUT THE PROCESS WAS COMPLETED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS. AS CHRISTIANS, IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT OUR SALVATION WAS THE RESULT OF ADOPTION. IT WAS THE PROCESS OF ADOPTION THAT MADE US SONS AND DAUGHTERS. WE ARE NO LONGER ADOPTED. ONCE THE ADOPTION PROCESS WAS COMPLETE, WE BECAME FAMILY BY BLOOD.

"BUT WHEN THE FULNESS OF TIME WAS COME, GOD SENT FORTH HIS SON, MADE OF A WOMAN, MADE UNDER THE LAW. TO REDEEM THEM THAT WERE UNDER THE LAW, THAT WE MIGHT RECEIVE THE ADOPTION OF SONS. AND BECAUSE YE ARE SONS, GOD HATH SENT FORTH THE SPIRIT OF HIS SON INTO YOUR HEARTS, CRYING, ABBA, FATHER. WHERE THOU ART NO MORE A SERVANT, BUT A SON; AND IF A SON, THEN AN HEIR OF GOD THROUGH CHRIST." GALATIANS 4:4-7

IT IS THE REVELATION OF GOD'S ADOPTION THAT CAN TAKE US TO FURTHER UNDERSTANDING THE IMMEASURABLE IMPACT THAT CAN BE MADE IN THE WORLD THROUGH ADOPTION. EVERY ORPHAN IN THIS WORLD HAS A CALL OF GOD ON THEIR LIVES - A CALL THAT COULD CHANGE THE WORLD! WHEN A FAMILY ADOPTS ONE OF THESE "LITTLE ONES", THEY ARE INVESTING IN THAT CHILD'S CALL. MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THEY CANNOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE. THIS IS NOT THE CASE. REMEMBER, JESUS SAID THAT THE ENTIRE KINGDOM OF GOD IS LIKE A SEED. FOR EVERY ORPHAN THAT IS ADOPTED, IT IS A SEED PLANTED IN THEIR LIVES. THE FRUIT THAT THEY BEAR WILL BE ON YOUR ACCOUNT BECAUSE OF YOUR INVESTMENT IN THEIR LIVES. YOU CAN BE RESPONSIBLE FOR HELPING THAT ONE CHILD WALK IN THEIR CALLING AND BRING OTHER "ORPHANS" INTO THE KINGDOM. WHEN THEY CHANGE THE WORLD, YOU HAVE CHANGED THE WORLD. ALL IT TAKES IS ONE CHILD!

Adoption: by Joshua David

Another source of inspiration: Saviour King by Hillsong United

And now the weak say I have strength
By the spirit of power that raised Christ from the dead
And now the poor stand and confess
That my portion is Him and I'm more than blessed

Let now our hearts burn with a flame
A fire consuming all for your Son's holy name
And with the heavens we declare
You are our king

We love you Lord, we worship you
You are our God, you alone are good

You asked your Son to carry this
The heavy cross our weight of sin

I love you Lord, I worship you
Hope which was lost, now stands renewed
I give my life to honor this
The love of Christ, the savior king

Let now your church shine as the bride
That you saw in your heart as you offered up your life
Let now the lost be welcomed home
By the saved and redeemed those adopted as your own

I give my life to honor this
The love of Christ, the Saviour King

Is it March already??!

2009-03-07T21:15:00.005-06:00

Well, we have been without wireless for almost a week - GASP! But we had a great ET food cooking get together at our home last weekend with several adoptive families from the Tulsa and OKC area. We had great notes from the last time Mimi for Queen of Sheba came up to teach us how to make the food, so Becca and everyone's hard work paid off and it was GOOOOODDDD! We had a blast and though the pics taken weren't the best (my bad!) - it was very memorable and so exciting to see the adoptive community growing!

Jack has also finished his first round of puppy training and did amazing, labradoodles are the best dogs EVAH! We got him groomed last week and thought we'd share some of those pics.

Sakari is doing amazing and a source of constant joy and laughter! She's getting so big and already wearing 3T clothes primarily - Daddy might just have a basketball player! She also just finished her Diaper Dolphins class today and is a pro at going underwater and loves her some water! She loves, loves music and knows exactly what she wants to listen to and loves to climb up and play the piano and make up songs...and let me tell ya, she's good! We cannot believe that in just a few weeks she will be turning 2, we are looking forward to Terrific Twos, not Terrible...we choose to enjoy each moment and she makes it so easy!

Some other fun news is that my (Caleb) sister is almost 8 weeks pregnant so it will be baby number 2 on our side of the family...we're all sooo excited!

We are busy with life in general and learning to place boundaries to make sure we don't burn out. What, with helping run a growing Christian school (www.faithcentralonline.com), planning our main event of the year with Big World Ventures, Brio Missions to Guatemala, www.briomissions.com with almost 500 people signed up to go, owning and running Mission Threads and Becca growing her photography business (www.treasuredcaptures.com) and making sure that family stays a priority...it's a huge task, but it's been amazing to have a sweet girl like Sakari to remind us what's important...family is more important than anything else. The end.

Oh...it's not really the end, just a teaser...I'm getting a tattoo next week.

February Fun video...and BIG GIRL BED!!

2009-02-15T22:05:00.003-06:00

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Out with the old crib and in with the new toddler bed...

Pretend sleeping...

The quilt aunt Christy made looks AWESOME on her new BIG GIRL bed...

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T11:24:00.005-06:00

We celebrated Valentine's Day with a fun photo shoot of Sakari and her cousins...ENJOY!

I just found this blog that I wrote a couple years ago...it's long, but you may find it funny - Jake and Merica, this re-post is especially for you...

2009-02-07T20:18:00.001-06:00

Monday, October 02, 2006

Cabo San Lucas - A week of sun and fun (kinda like surf and turf but totally different)

So here goes...I'm gonna try to let you in to partake with us on our vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico...where the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez meet at the tip of the Baja Peninsula.

Sept. 23rd: We arrived in Mexico, got our luggage, rented our car and drove 30 minutes to our resort. We stayed at the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar, a great 5 star resort. Becca's parents have a time share that allowed us to trade lcoations and spend a week at this resort right on the beach. It also has 3 pools, 2 of which are infinity pools overlooking the ocean. Ahhh, the ocean...liquid sapphire and turquoise with random diamonds sprinkled throughout...it was breathtaking! It rained a week before we arrived so the desert was alive with emerald greens and yellow and fuscia flowers were blooming, perfect timing also because it's the beginning of slow tourist season. Back to the resort, aloe vera grew everywhere along with birds of paradise and iguanas and lizards roamed - awesome! Snapping myself out of day dreaming right now...back to the blog...that night we drove into Cabo proper and found a local authentic Mexican restaurant and ate...good times, I even tasted sliced and cooked cow tongue...besides the disgusting mental picture, it tasted amazing!

Sept. 24th: I'm not sure if any of you or your families have time shares, they can be great...but anytime you use your time share they get you into more meetings and sales pitches. This time around...we got smart...the guy at the car rental place pitched us a way we could get our rental paid for as well as pocket almost $200 cash by going to another resort's presentation along with getting huge discounts on the activities we wanted to do on vacation. So, a tip for you...if this is offered to you - do it!! Because typically, the meetings are only 90 minutes...and if you think about it you get paid a crazy sum to sit through and not buy anything...but you have to schedule these meetings at the very beginning of your vacation get them over with and from them on...enjoy! So today, the 24th, we went to 2 meetings...one at the resort we stayed at and then it was on to the other presentation...both of which came with a free buffet meal. From one of the resorts, we were shown Enrique Iglesias' home and apparently Slyvester Stallone and Whoopi Goldberg have homes in that same neighborhood. Most of today was spent at resorts talking to people and getting tours but late in the afternoon we headed back to our resort and we hung out at the pool for a bit then I went for a walk on the beach. I walked and walked till I got to a spot that had some rocks...it was officially time to explore. I found all kinds of wildlife...crabs crawling all over the moss covered rocks, hundreds of snails (man, those suckers are strong...I couldn't pull them off!), sea urchins, pelicans diving into the surf for dinner....is was so incredible...partly because I felt like I deserved a tv show on Animal Planet. Ha! On the walk back, I found shells that were red and purple...which I had never seen before...on this beach there were also tons of dime-sized crabs scurrying about but turns out there are also other larger crabs that dig out burrows. I was just walking along enjoying the sand and sound of crashing waves when out of the corner of my eye I saw movement...I'm intrigued...I kept looking and decided to walk toward the movement I saw a moment before...all of a sudden I'm a few feet away and a crab (larger than my hand) takes off running side ways straight for the water. I guess I was deemed a predator. So, without thinking...I took off after it, just for fun. And it was.

Sept. 25th: This day marked the beginning of enjoying the rewards of the time share meetings...it began with a free glass bottom boat tour on the Sea of Cortez and to explore Los Arcos (the natural rock arch formation where Cortez and Pacific meet). We saw fish, pelicans and the most exciting was a whole troop of sea lions hanging out on one of the rocks...they were barking and sleeping and just hanging out. Turns out that sea lions in the wild smell just as bad as the ones at the zoo...but it was quite a cool experience. We spent the rest of the day doing a little shopping, ate at another local seafood joint (so much food!), took a nap and spent the rest of the day at the pool.

Sept. 26th: Oh...fateful day! You'll laugh, you'll cry...because you're laughing so hard.
Well, we took a 3 hour ATV tour with Salto Tours in the desert and on the beach. First, I will say I'm so glad we did this...besides getting more sun...the tour was amazing...riding through the desert, going through arroyos (washed out river beds - although some of them actually had water running through them), riding on the beach and exploring some of the nearby hills and sand dunes. Ok, here goes...I never grew up doing a whole lot of daring and dangerous things...I wish I had, but until this day I had never driven a 4 wheeler/ATV - I had ridden on the back of a couple, but not my own. So the tour began well, it took me a few minutes in the practice ride to figure out the gears, etc...and I felt semi-confident and semi-cautious leaving the home base. We drove in the desert for a few, crossed an arroyo, drove through some running water...this is getting fun...we drove around some more exploring...now, our guide says it's time to head to the beach. I'm getting more and more confident by the minute. We get to the beach and it's gorgeous...hills, rocks, trees, cactus, flowers are the backdrop for the beautiful sand and water. We get to a meeting point where our guide gives us water to drink...then tells us we have an hour and twenty minutes to drive around on our own. Half the water bottle is consumed...then the group of 6 (Becca, her parents, another married couple and myself) decide it's time to have some fun. The other couple hangs back a little longer...but the four of us take off...I'm last in line, let's ride. We take off...Becca's fam grew up doing this sort of thing so I'm pretty much left in the dust...but as the ride continues, confidence grows...and it's time to kick it from 2nd gear to 4th....and I'm now ripping down the beach trying to catch up while still enjoying the ride...I'm not an expert converter from the metric system but I feel it's safe to say I was going at least 25 miles an hour when...the ATV hits a really soft spot, I lose control of the steering...imagine and reflect with me...slow motion officially takes over at this point. I'm flying off the ATV...and flying is not a metaphor or exaggeration...I flew off and a few phrases go through my head - "Holy crap", "I'm going to die", "well, maybe not die...but I'm definitely gonna break something", "I hope no one is watching", "I hope the ATV doesn't run over me when I land" - these were just a sampling of what my brain was able to come up with as I soared...all of a sudden - SPLAT, CRUNCH, CRUMBLE! Pain, sand, embarrassment, pain, sand, embarrassment...pain, sand, embarrassment. This was the pattern. But being a guy, as soon as I landed I rolled over and jumped up like nothing happened and I wasn't even hurt...ha! It was then that I realized that I could barely breathe, the wind had been knocked out of me. The next realization is that the fam was now even farther ahead of me...and then I stood...hot, sweaty, and covered...no, not just covered but also filled with sand...oh yeah, and hurt. At this point, I began laughing out loud at myself...I started brushing off sand and chased down the ATV just as the other couple on our tour pulled up...he drove over to make sure I was ok...he saw the whole thing! What?! Where the heck was the video camera??! I wish I could see it all happen...mostly because things like that make me laugh hysterically when watching a movie...when a kid is riding a bike and he runs into something...someone is running and runs into a tree...why is that funny? Well, turns out when it happened to me...it made me laugh just about as hard...except this time, my neck, shoulders and ribs are sore. Embarrassed...no, not anymore...Acceptance...this is who I am, this is what I do from time to time, haha...and it's hilarous. This was the most dramatic of the falls...yes, there were more...1 more incident of being thrown off (thrown off...as if it was the ATV's fault :-)...and 2 more of my body going the opposite direction of the ATV and those times I kinda just flopped off...I was still getting the concept that you lean into your turns, not against them :-) And...one of those flops was caught on tape while I was doing a fishtail at the top of the sand dunes...you haul off from the beach straight up the dunes and then close to the top you make a sharp turn and lean in...this creates a fishtailing at the top and then you head straight back down the dunes. Wow...what a day...it was a blast!!! I'd do it all again in a heart beat.

Time out...all this typing has made me hungry...let's see what can I find...ah yes, a cinnamom roll and cup of coffee...

Speaking of food...this night we made a reservation at one of the resorts restaurants...Pitahayas. It is a 5 diamond, 5 star restaurant. The food was really good...but really expensive. Thankfully, since we sat through a presentation...we had $200 worth of certificates to use...we still spent $70 of our own money on top of that...but it was a cool experience. We sat outside overlooking the beach at sunset. The meal started with a complimentary bowl of the chef's clam chowder...it was spicy, rich and incredible. We got the appetizer sampler...also good. I ordered the Seafood Trilogy...which was half a lobster tail in a vanilla bean sauce (sound gross, that's why I ordered it...it was great), blackened fish with mango and papaya relish (best fish I have ever, ever had - wow) and sauteed shrimp in wasabi butter. The presentation was great and food pretty darn good. We had dessert and coffee...ours dessert wasn't great...and the overall consensus from the fam was that it was good, but not worth almost $300. I think I enjoyed my food the most. But this is the story of Cabo...food is very expensive almost whereever you go...even groceries are a little pricey...but Cabo is worth spending a little more to get to experience it. Most of the time, you actually don't even feel like you are in a different country...it's a beautiful, comfortable piece of paradise.

Sept. 27th: Becca and I went tandem parasailing...also a lot of fun, it's so peaceful up in the air like that being pulled around by a boat...we were a good 300 feet up in the air. I have been parasailing once before and loved it...I'm not a huge fan of heights, in fact, I hate them...but I tell you parasailing is incredible, if you haven't done it...you should. The rest of the afternoon involved pool time...and that evening we went on a dinner cruise, Cabo Rey. It was incredible...a sunset dinner cruise, the views were awesome, food was incredible...the steak was so tender we cut it with a butter knife, there was also entertainment. Sure, there was some cheese...that's to be expected, but there were these 2 different sets of Argentenian dancers that were incredible...I have no idea how they did what they did...it was really entertaining. We saw a blue marlin jump out of the water as well as a mantaray...it was a good evening.

Sept. 28th: We rented waverunners (jet skis) and spent an hour zipping around the ocean...and exploring Los Arcos area once again. We came upon a sea lion playing in the water just about 20-30 feet away from us. I had also never driven my own wave runner before...but thankful, there were no spills - just fun, sun and spraying water.

Sept. 29th: Snorkeling day...we drove over to the Santa Maria Beach, we are told this is the best place to snorkel in this area. I've been once before in Puerto Vallarta, but the water was rough and mirky...not a great experience. This time the water was calm, but the whole goggles, breathing tube and flippers made me a bit claustrophobic. The flippers were too tight and there was sand in them...first time out there was miserable...but I went out a couple other times and got to see some incredible fish close up and got several underwater pictures. Unfortunately, the waves made Becca feel sea sick and she hung out on the beach (it was a hot day) and ended up getting exhausted by the heat. She felt better later on that day once she got to cool off at the resort. Becca's mom had brought some frozen peas for us to feed to the fish (I would have never thought of that), but I took the peas out there and ended up having a feeding frenzy happening all around me...and a bunch of others came to watch all the fish eat peas. overall, it was a pretty cool experience (although, since it's a popular place many boats brought tons of people there to snorkel , it was a little crowded)...snorkeling is not my favorite activity but I'm glad I did it...plus, I got more sun...I did turn pretty dark, one of my most important accomplishments of the trip :-)
We packed the rest of the evening and flew home the next day....

...now here we are in Vegas for another day before we fly home tomorrow...it was a great vacation, but we are ready to go home...it's been a fun 2 weeks...with the exception of the fact that seemed like at least once a day I heard some version of "My Heart Will Go On" somewhere in the background...a different version and variation, one of them being a clock chime...Celine wants her song back...stop using it, people!

Swimming Class Fun!!!

2009-01-31T19:52:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago we started swimming classes with Sakari...and it has been SO MUCH FUN!! We take turns each week being in the water with her...here are some highlights! OH...and today...she put her head totally under the water...she didn't cry, she kinda loved it and wanted to do it again!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Photo shoot of Sakari on GOTCHA DAY!!

2009-01-24T17:53:00.006-06:00

I decided to do a photo shoot of our sweet Sakari on the 1st anniversary of the day that she was with us full time!! We had so much fun....enjoy the cuteness!!

She wasn't too excited when we started :0)

...but she was lovin' it by the time we were done :0)

So AMAZED how well Sakari fits in our family....Thank you Jesus for bringing her to us!!!

GOTCHA DAY!!!!

2009-01-23T20:22:00.007-06:00

A year ago today...that sweet child of ours came to be with us FOREVER! It's bizarre how it feels like she has always been with us, but also how quickly time flies. We truly had the most incredible privilege to not only have "gotten" Sakari but also the families that traveled with us - Stum's, Mihnovich's, Singleton's and Carpenter's, we LOVE YOU GUYS and wish you all a happy GOTCHA DAY and we are counting down the days until Reunion 2009!

We brainstormed as a travel group and though we all met our babies for the first time on January 21st (aka as Meetcha Day!), we decided to use today as it was the day they left the transition home with us for good. What a day that was...excitment, trepidation, laughter, tears and well, about a trillion other emotions.

To celebrate, we chose to have a family only celebration of balloons, cookies and watching video footage of our Gotcha Day. Today, we got Sakari to also say "Gotcha!"...we have that on video and also some pics that we will post shortly. Sakari got balloons of a ladybug, Blue (from Blue's Clues), a butterfly, a monkey, hearts and purple ones too! We are going to write notes on one of the balloons from us to Sakari's birthmother and let it go into the sky tomorrow...we were going to do it tonight, but it got really cold and REALLY windy. One of the traditions we decided to implement is to buy Sakari a fun kids DVD for a present on each Gotcha Day. Becca's also created, printed, laminated and had coil bound a story for Sakari...her own adoption story book! Becca has always told her the story and thought it would be great to put into book form and we read it together tonight before bed.

It was a special day, but not just January 23, 2008 or even today...but each day spent with this treasure of ours is more special than the one before...

Checking out her balloons!

She kinda LOVED them!!

Opening her 1st present...the movie "Horton hears a Who"

Opening her 2nd present...the book that we made for her!!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

IMPOSSIBLE IS NOT - SHIRT DESIGN

2009-01-11T20:49:00.005-06:00

Impossible Is Not - New design now posted at www.missionthreads.com! All proceeds from this shirt will support students from Faith Central Christian Academy in Tulsa, OK, raise support for their mission trip to Guatemala (www.briomissions.com) - Pre-order your shirt today for a donation of $25 or more, email us at info@missionthreads.com to get yours! Help these students experience faith in action and through it they will never be the same!

This design is also available for anyone wanting to raise funds for adoption, etc. Just send us an email!

a few more pics from Christmas...

2009-01-02T14:05:00.002-06:00

I was going through our MILLIONS of pics from Christmas and found a few more that I wanted to post...Enjoy!!

Here is the GREAT STRAIGHTENING of 2008...
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This is the AMAZING QUILT that Sakari's Aunt Christy made just for her...SO BEAUTIFUL!!

Playing in the GIANT pile of wrapping paper :0)

Present opening fun...

HAPPY 21 MONTH BIRTHDAY SAKARI!!!

2008-12-30T12:25:00.003-06:00

We LOVE YOU so much...ALL THE WAY TO THE MOOOOON!!! :0)

And here is a video montage from Sakari's first Christmas at home...

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

First Haircut, Long Road Trip Home and Coffee...

2008-12-29T20:54:00.005-06:00

Well, we are back home...we rolled in around 1:30am today, our 12.5 hour trip ended up taking closer to 15.5 with stops for the dog, baby and meeting our great friends Greg and Christa in Albuquerque for a few brief minutes...then it was onto cleaning up dog puke and pee...I'll stop there. We had hoped to visit the Treat family while we drove through but things just didn't go as planned, so hopefully next time. The Treats have sweet Abel, who we got to meet and visit when we picked up Sakari last January. We are still pretty wiped from the trip, but overall the trip was great and our kiddo and puppy did very well! Thank you, Lord for the Little Einsteins...Sakari LOVES them! She goes...pat, pat, pat, pat, etc...and then puts her arms up in the air and yells "Blast off!" It's amazing - we love that she loves the classical music, the rhythm and animals.

During our last few days in NM, Sakari got her first haircut from Becca's Aunt Jody. Earlier that day, Becca flat ironed Sakari's hair and it's soooo long! We've posted some pics of the haircut and the straightened hair. We had to go and buy a luggage carrier to make sure we could fit all of the stuff we either bought or were given. I've also posted a pic of myself and Jack outside of the coffee house in Bernallio, NM on our way home - by the way, it's not just a funny pic...it's really good coffee!

We are home sweet home...and soon we will be asleep sweet asleep!

SSSSSMMMMMOOOOWW AKA SNOW!

2008-12-22T22:00:00.003-06:00

Sakari discovered the joy of that white, flaky, cold stuff that falls from the sky yesterday here in NM! Today, her cousins got here and between yesterday and today - she's been loving it and eating it! She learned how to say snow yesterday and she's begun to imitate and mimic really well, sentences (that make sense) are right around the corner! Snow started out as "SSSSSSMMMMMMMOOOW!"

Road Trip for the Holidays!

2008-12-20T19:53:00.004-06:00

So we are posting from Becca's parents home in Aztec, NM (near Farmington) - we left Thursday evening and drove all night with Sakari and Jack. The trip is about 12-13 hours and we drove straight through and our daughter and puppy are amazing travelers! They pretty much slept the whole time and were happy :-) Love it! The drive went by quickly and was enjoyable...something about hours and hours with no distractions turns me introspective. It was great, those who know me know I prefer to be around people but every once in a while a whole lot of nothing is exactly what I need.

Anyway, this is Sakari's first visit to Grandma and Papa's house - she was SO excited to see them and Aunt Christy! She has become very comfortable with them and it's neat to see how well she fits with us. A family of dorks. Haha! We love coming here because it's away from the normal routine and we find great shopping deals here! We eat, sleep, cook, eat, watch movies, shop, eat, sleep, do some dishes, watch another movie, grab some leftovers, nap...you get the point. It's so fun to get to come visit the family and also Becca's extended family (who haven't got to meet Sakari yet). Becca's sister, Dacia and her family, will get hereon Monday sometime. We've already taken some great pics and video, but I need to locate the card reader...will post pics of Sakari in the snow (eating some snow) and some other pics soon!

Merry Christmas!

A Year Ago Today...

2008-12-13T09:23:00.004-06:00

We got the news that Misrak (aka Sakari Ava Misrak David) had officially became our daughter, as our case passed through the Ethiopian court system after 4 months of waiting!!! We had hoped to have her home before last Christmas, but that didn't stop us from keeping the tree up and presents waiting for her for when we got home the first week of Februrary...yeah, that's right...February! Sakari was too young at just 10 months to really grasp Christmas, but this year was SOOO fun! We went to see Christmas lights and we actually already opened all our presents as a family since we are leaving next week to spend 10 days in New Mexico with Becca's family. We love the lights, presents, shopping and all that, but most of all we want to instill in Sakari the true meaning of Christmas so that she will come to love our Saviour more than the side benefits and fun that the season brings. We are so grateful to have this treasure (Sakari) home with us this Christmas season...having her home has magnified our appreciation to God for this life that we live. Right now as I type, Sakari is playing with a remote controlled car...that well, she hasn't quite figured out yet and it's one more thing that causes us to laugh!! We celebrated Christmas Eve by opening one present and then Christmas the next morning by first opening our stockings, then we had a breakfast of custom created omelets while we read the story of Jesus' birth from the Gospel of Luke. Then it was on to present time...we always go overboard with presents, but we shop throughout the year and are usually done in October and wrapping presents is typically completed by the day after Thanksgiving. It took a present or two for Sakari to get into the swing of things but she adjusted just fine :-) We got her a kitchen set along with other fun things, but that was her big present and she loves it!!! We had so much fun and just reveling in the fact that our sweet girl was home with us. Her new "thing" this week is to pretend that she is conducting an orchestra each time she hears classical music.

Also, this past week we received Sakari's first blog book! For those of you who may not know, you can turn your adoption blog into a book through www.blurb.com - you can pick a format, paper choice cover choice, etc. It's basically incredible. We did our first book and called it "The Journey Begins" and it documents the adoption process from Day 1 until the day we left to go pick her up...we're going to do another one from the day we left Tulsa until her first birthday, then our plan is to do one for each year from birthday to birthday. We highly recommend adoptive families doing this, it's awesome.

To top off our "Christmas", we had the incredible God-orchestrated chance to talk with Sakari's nanny, Elizabeth on the phone via a translator. It was a very unlikely situation, but my Dad was on his way back from Ghana to visit his family in India and happened to have a 12 hour layover in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He asked if we had any contacts there and if we wanted him to try and visit anyone. So, I contacted a dear friend who owns the Ethiopia Guest Home (www.ethiopiaguesthouse.com) and he got me his staff phone numbers...I emailed them to my Dad and he was able to get ahold of them. The staff of the Ethiopia Guest House was beyond exceptional and went the extra mile to help him with translation, transportation and even a chance to see and rest at the Guest House. My Dad raved about them and the home, so if you or anyone you know are going to be traveling to Ethiopia to pick up your kids, you must stay there! Once again, the beautiful, gracious Ethiopian people showed their hospitality and even though Elizabeth (Sakari's sweet nanny - they were seriously bonded!) doesn't work at the AWAA transition home anymore, they were able to find her and coordinated a rare and indescribable opportunity for us to talk with Elizabeth (with my Dad there!) Elizabeth was able to talk to Sakari and Sakari talked back to her...between us and Elizabeth, we were all an emotional wreck in the best sense! She never thought she would get to talk to her again, but through the hand of God we were re-united across the oceans. We are forever grateful to her. My Dad was able to get a few pics (will post when he returns from India) and also got to record some of their conversation. We can't wait until we can go back to Addis and visit her and the gorgeous Ethiopian people.

Now that you are teary-eyed and weeping (you'd better be...if not, you may just be the Grinch, haha!) - enjoy some of our "Christmas Day" pics!

A night of food and fun...

2008-12-07T20:26:00.004-06:00

We hung out with some other adoptive families and cooked some Ethiopian food...Mimi from the "Queen of Sheba" in OKC came and cooked for us and showed us how it's done :0) Here are some pics from the fun and festivities!!

Christmas around the world and Christmas lights!!

2008-12-07T18:31:00.004-06:00

so....our traditions of the Christmas season have begun...and this year is like it is all new since Sakari is home with us....here are some pics of our fun night :0)

CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD...our church sets this up with booths from 40 nations and they have food and artifacts from each country with people dressed in traditional clothing...and they give you a passport at the door you can get stamped for every country you visit!!

Daddy and Sakari...

Sakari getting her passport stamped at Iraq...

Sakari enjoying food from the Virgin Islands...our good friend Louryse is from there and was feeding her...she LOVED it!!

Sakari sitting with Mrs Iru...

Our friends daughter holding the flag from the Virgin Islands in the parade of nations...

RHEMA CHRISTMAS LIGHTS...we then took Sakari to Rhema church to see their HUGE Christmas lights display...Sakari LOVED IT!!

I SEE THE MOON!

2008-12-06T21:10:00.003-06:00

These words were uttered from our daughter's lips today - she communicates really well and though she is very verbal, the actual words coming out are taking some time...so today was a fun day when she put her first full sentence together (that actually makes English sense)!!!! I SEE THE MOON!

20 months old...and half her life :0)

2008-12-01T13:33:00.003-06:00

I can hardly believe that Sakari is 20 months old...almost 2!! This also marks the moment that Sakari has been with us as long as she wasn't with us!!! So from now on she will have been with us most of her life!!! We are SO GRATEFUL for the amazing blessing Sakari has been in our lives. I have been thinking about how scared I was when we were on our way to Ethiopia...thinking our life is going to change... we are going to meet this little person and she is OURS she is coming home with us...all the CRAZY things that go through your head when you are about to become a first time parent...and then comparing that to how life is now...JUST NORMAL :0) Playing, laughing. learning, crying, singing and laughing some more...I feel so blessed and love the life that GOD has given us and could not imagine our life without this sweet girl!!

Here is a pic of the first day we met her...

And here she is this last week on Thanksgiving...

I LOVE THANKSGIVING!!!!

2008-11-27T21:38:00.004-06:00

We got Sakari to yell this out (well, sort of...) all day today...cuz basically, WE LOVE THANKSGIVING! We had a great relaxing day! Earlier in the day, my (Caleb) sister and her husband and my brother came over just to hang out. Grace and Jeremy brought over Charlie (their labradoodle - who is brother to our new addition Jack - they are almost 12 weeks old) to play and hang out...it was a blast. We hosted at our house and got most of our prep done yesterday so today was just awesome - no stress. Weather was perfect and had fun with friends and family...after eating and eating and eating, we all curled up on the couches and watched the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe...it was just a perfect day! I know it's a short and somewhat vague update - but hey, even my fingers are sleepy :-) Tomorrow, we have a "Day after Thanksgiving" breakfast scheduled with my (Caleb) side of the family that will include pumpkin pancakes with roasted pecans and syrup, sausage, coffee and more delightful morsels. Becca may go and brave a few stores tomorrow, though we are done with our shopping and all our wrapping is done too! Christmas tree has been up for well over a week now and we are loving the season...it's SO fun because Sakari is home with us this year and things can't get much better! Enjoy the pics!

Another post!?!

2008-11-12T14:22:00.002-06:00

So apparently we go weeks without posting...and then we post 3 times in a couple of days :0) Well, I have been busy with my photography business and keeping up with the website and the blog for that...so here is a very past due montage of photos and videos from the second half of October!!! ENJOY!!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

2008-11-10T19:57:00.005-06:00

In the journey of adoption, you meet scores of incredible people...the Gibson family were one of those families that we immediately bonded with and we enjoy every minute we spend with them. We met them in August of 2007 and pretty much became family on the spot (stress free parenting will do that to ya - lol, inside joke). But there are a core group of families that become strength and hope for each other through the adoption process and truly the Gibson's are one of those so dear to our hearts. Today was a milestone...as Sakari and their sweet Zoie had never met nor had Roger and Kari met Sakari since we've been home. Today was special. They were in Tulsa for the day picking up their son, Michael, at the airport but before that we got to spend some quality time over lunch catching up, totally in awe of how far we have come and how God handpicked these treasures to be in our lives.

Becca held Zoie and typically Sakari is not fond of Momma holding another baby...but she was ok with it and just loved Zoie and kept wanting to get up from the table and go over and just be by her to hug her, kiss her and hold her hand. Zoie is seriously the impersonation of a dark chocolate hershey kiss. Those two girls were just soooo sweet! We didn't have near enough time but thankfully, we are headed up to Branson in a few weeks to spend a weekend with them for our birthdays (Becca and I have birthdays 2 days apart). We can't wait to spend more time with them...and just are so excited for them and I tell you, adoption is a common ground that a lot of us share...and I think I speak for all of us in saying that there is nothing like it! I'm sure Rog and Kari will post pics soon - they got better pics than we did, but here are a few that we got today...but the ones they have of Sakari and Zoie kissing goodbye are enough to make anyone tear up :-)

Dad and Daughter Dorkiness

2008-11-10T18:00:00.003-06:00

Yes, we have been slacking on the blog...BUT we've been busy talking on the phone, drinking coffee and just being plain old dorks - I'll let the photos explain and serve as evidence!

Pumpkin Patch..

2008-10-18T12:17:00.002-05:00

We went to a pumpkin patch and Christmas tree farm Friday....it was a BEAUTIFUL DAY and we had so much fun!!

The BEST Weekend ever...with our Adoption Travel Group

2008-10-17T21:54:00.005-05:00

October 3rd, 2007...December 13, 2007...January 21, 2008...these are all dates of huge impact and importance not only in our adoption journey but in our entire lives. Now, we have October 11, 2008 to add to that prestigious list.

October 11 was the first day that our Ethiopia adoption travel group had seen each other since we were in Africa almost 9 months ago picking up our gorgeous children. God has something special in mind when He put all of us in each other's paths and now after this incredible weekend together we know we are in each other's lives forever! The Mihnovich's hosted the reunion at their home in Franklin, TN. The Carpenter's were unable to attend as it is harvest season - we can't wait until we can all be together again!

We met up with the Mihnovich's and Stum's and then drove to Gentry's Farm for some fun picking pumpkins, watching the kids fall in the mud, trip on vines, play with scoops of grain, mosey through the hay bale maze (yes, I just said mosey...deal with it) and just had some fall fun! Then we all went our separate ways for nap time...then re-convened for food and fun at the Mihnovich home. Words cannot express the bond we all felt watching our families reconnect and just watching the miracle of adoption in the form of our kids playing together right before our eyes...it was surreal and nothing short of amazing. We LAUGHED and LAUGHED and LAUGHED... We strongly encourage any other AWAA travel groups who read this to try and schedule a reunion sometime soon - our travel group has decided to do this EVERY year!

It was one of the best days of our lives and we hope you enjoy a peek into our weekend by checking out the slideshow...you can also read more details and perspectives about our weekend on the Stum's blog at www.thestums.blogspot.com and Mihnovich's blog at www.ourunveiledfaces.blogspot.com - there are great pics on their blogs too!!! You can also look on our blog under "blogs we read"...when in fact, they are blogs we borderline stalk...you can click on their family links there as well! Now...for real...enjoy the pics!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

One of the best days...ever!!!

2008-10-16T20:34:00.001-05:00

We are working on sorting pictures, etc. from our amazing weekend with some of our newly ordained best friends in the world...our adoption travel group...we will be posting pics and a blog about our incredible weekend with them...soon...

One year ago today...

2008-10-03T15:08:00.002-05:00

Our lives changed...we got our referral for our sweet baby girl!!! YAY!!! We can hardly believe that was a year ago!! In the last post I posted our referral picture of Sakari...she was 6 months old! We are continuously AMAZED at how God brought her to us and SO THANKFUL!!!

Happy 18 months Sakari!!!

2008-09-29T21:24:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it...when our sweet baby wakes up in the morning she will be 18 months old...Time FLIES when your having fun!! What a COMPLETE JOY she continues to be in our lives...we can't imagine life without her :0)

Here is the first picture we ever saw of her...Referral picture 6 months old...

And here is one of her now...one year later...18 months old...

Our GORGEOUS "Heart of Sweetness"...thank you Jesus for bringing her to us!!!

8 months since GOTCHA!!

2008-09-21T22:55:00.003-05:00

We realized that today has been 8 months since we first met our sweet girl face to face in Ethiopia...what an amazing, life changing experience...we are so grateful that Jesus had her for us and that she is a part of our family...sigh...SO AMAZED just thinking about it :0)

here is a new video of this little sweetness...enjoying life and laughter...thanks for checking in on us :0)

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

a few new pics...

2008-09-19T10:24:00.005-05:00

I have been taking TONS of pictures with my new camera...and I am taking digital photography class and I LOVE IT...so here is some of my recent work :0)

I did Christmas pics for my sister's kids and we had to put Sakari in a couple...

Here are some of Sakari...outside...we are LOVIN' the fallish weather!!

I LOVE FALL...REPRISE...

2008-09-10T22:18:00.003-05:00

I (Caleb) was looking back over some of our old posts in our adoption journey...and found the below blog and just felt that it was time to re-post it due to my unusual love of fall! I noticed it was posted exactly a year ago...hmm, coincidence...I think not. Now I get to instill my addiction to fall to my daughter...I basically reposted the exact blog with a few edits :-)

What is it about fall that is so incredible? I woke up this morning feeling the crisp fall air...which we don't usually get enough of in Tulsa...and something in me just explodes when fall comes. It is different than any other time of year...is it my New England blood? Does it remind me of basketball season in high school? Thanksgiving? Family? or maybe just one huge reminder of God's faithfulness in every season of life. But still something about fall is so giant and personal all at the same time. And maybe this year it means more with the pending season change as we wait for Sakari (and now she's home!!!!!!!!!!)...seriously though, I think maybe on the 7th day God created fall...

Knowing from last night's weather that today would be amazing, I got ready quickly to enjoy as much of the weather as possible...also in order was a drive (with windows down, of course) to Starbucks for my new favorite drink - Triple Grande Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Dolce Latte. I love the smells, flavors and feelings of fall.

My metaphors for fall:

Fall is like Mayan Hot Chocolate
Fall is the climate of Heaven
Fall is like a blanket of comfort
Fall is like Mom's corn chowder
Fall is like Becca's pumpkin roll
Fall is so perfect, fresh and crisp that if you put it in a bottle I would choose that smell over any expensive cologne on the market
Fall is like Indian food
Fall is the essence of New England
Fall is eating at Murray's for breakfast in Walpole, NH
Fall is like every great emotion exploding inside me
Fall is like spiced cider, maple syrup and pumpkin spice lattes
Fall is gratefulness
Fall is my daughter smiling at me...giving me a squeeze (hug) and kisses

How could you not LOVE fall???!!!

New video and stuff..

2008-09-10T16:25:00.002-05:00

Well...life is good and crazy around here....Caleb and I celebrated our 9th anniversary and Sakari turned 17 months old, she is such a blessing and SO BUSY!!! OH...and we are done with the bottle...I took away all her daytime bottles about a month ago, and it took her a couple of weeks to start drinking milk from a sippy cup, but she finally got the hang of it and so Sunday night we took the plunge...nighttime milk in a sippy cup...she CRIED the first night for about a minute but seems to have adjusted to it just fine...YAY!!! It is GREAT but kinda sad...her babyhood is fading...onto to TODDLER land!! Here is a video of some of the fun we have been having around here...ENJOY!!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sakari's Christmas photo shoot...

2008-09-05T12:01:00.004-05:00

I know...it is only September, but I just started my photography business (www.treasuredcaptures.com) and I am putting together a special for Christmas and so I did a photo shoot with Sakari yesterday for my promo shots. It was really fun...she looked SO CUTE and she REALLY LOVED her dress, she actually cried when I took it off. So let me know what you think...

Adoptive Families - Interesting Links about John McCain and his Adoption Views...

2008-09-02T22:12:00.004-05:00

http://themediansib.com/2008/06/23/bridget-mccain-john-mccains-daughter/

http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/95b18512-d5b6-456e-90a2-12028d71df58.htm

Last week of August fun :0)

2008-08-31T09:03:00.001-05:00

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This week in the words and actions of Sakari...

2008-08-22T19:41:00.004-05:00

Well, the speech pathologist told us that Sakari's words would come sooner than later...sooner is now. He said that she would be speaking in sentences by the time she is 18 months, at just less than 17 months, she is definitely on track. This past week, the limited vocabulary of "Mama" and "Dada" have all of a sudden expanded. Some days she says multiple words, other days it's just one or a simple, but hilarious action in response to us. We've known for some time that she comprehends extremely well because she responds appropriately when we talk to her or say "stop" or "bring Daddy the remote" or "bring Mama your cup" or "walk around the dog"...the list goes on and on. She's always been a talker and a laugher (is that a word?)...and she would talk and talk, we just couldn't understand it completely because well, it was mostly jibberish and pointing.

This past Wednesday, she started by saying "Hippo". Thursday the words flooded - Zebra, Ball and Bird. Dacia (Becca's sis) said that she also said "Turtle". Sunday she said "Flower".

Yesterday, Sakari and I (Caleb) were playing upstairs just having fun and she starts playing with her plush Bob the Tomato (Veggietales). She has Bob, Larry and Junior...Bob was her choice for show and tell. She always picks them up and makes the hop around all the while singing her version of the songs - today was different - she finished singing the theme song in gibberish (yes, the melody was actually mostly recognizable) and she looks at me and says "Beggietales, Beggietales!" I was in shock and started laughing then got teary because it was just SO dang cute!

This morning, we were getting ready for our day in the master bathroom...and Sakari comes toddling in like a typical morning, but today armed with her new favorite Tigger and Pooh book. She is just sitting in there talking and reading and all of a sudden yells - "Tigga!" It was just so much fun to watch her learn and discover that Becca wanted to keep it going so she asks, "Sakari, where is Pooh?" Immediately, Sakari sticks up her finger and moves her arm around and points at her hindquarters!!!!! We seriously laughed for 5 minutes straight while she looked on with a bewildered, yet pleased with herself look on her face.

This is our week in the words and actions of Sakari. The end. Or is it??!

Pics with my new camera :0)

2008-08-19T12:10:00.007-05:00

Gorgeous Girl...

Playing in a box :0)

Look at those muscles!!!

Playing outside...with cousins Ema and Ember

I got a new fancy camera...I am planning to start a photography business...I AM SO EXCITED!!! These pics are my first photo shoot...trying out the new camera!!

the cuteness of Sakari...

2008-08-16T22:36:00.002-05:00

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Video from this week...

2008-08-09T22:17:00.002-05:00

So we discovered some of our daughters talents this week...ENJOY!!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

one more video :0)

2008-08-02T18:55:00.000-05:00

a few highlights from our time in NY and NH...

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Peru trip video

2008-08-01T23:33:00.001-05:00

Here are a few clips from our trip to Peru in July...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

new video...and 16 months old!!

2008-08-01T21:35:00.004-05:00

I recorded this before we left for our trip, but didn't have time to post it....but I thought it was blog worthy :0)

And Sakari just turned 16 months old and she has been with us for 6 MONTHS!!! We can hardly believe it has been half a year already...and we are LOVING every minute of it!!!

ENJOY the video!!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

...I think she has watched her daddy talk on the phone ALOT..(if you know Caleb...he is always on the phone!) and she is taking after him :0)

I will try to put up some videos from our trip soon...

Planes, Trains, Taxis, Subways...all but a Unicycle!

2008-07-24T08:02:00.008-05:00

So we pretty much have been on EVERY kind of transportation on this trip...other than the aforementioned unicycle. We have had a blast in NYC and NH...but we are SOOOOO ready to be home. We had fun in NYC shopping, eating and doing all kinds of great things (Bronx Zoo, H&M, SoHo,Times Square, Toys R Us, etc.) and meeting up with friends...oh...and one of the highlights, was our sighting of Alexis Bledel who played the role of Rory, on Gilmore Girls (our fav show of all time!) But for the sake of time, we will just post pics. In fact, if my post doesn't make sense and random words are left out it's only because well, I may have shipped some of my brain and words home with our last shipment. Yes, we have shipped home 2 large...and I mean, large suitcases. The first one from Miami had a bunch of our winter clothes, gifts, etc. from Peru - 60 pounds of stuff. The last we shipped from NH after our Amtrak luggage fiasco - don't ask...ok, well sneak peak. 2 large suitcases, 1 pack and play, 1 large duffel bag, a sling bag, a diaper bag, 2 carryon suitcases...and a 26 pound baby girl. AND...the train we picked from Penn Station to Bellows Falls, VT (across the river from my Grammy's in Walpole, NH) was a carry on train only. We couldn't check our luggage! Picture this: All the above mentioned luggage...and no working elevator...yeah, we went down the escalator. Once on the train a whole other mess...but enough of the trauma...we had a GREAT time in NH with Gigi, Sakari's great Grammy (Caleb's Grammy). Sakari is the first great grandchild...and she loved Gigi! We got to spend time with her in the amazing little town of Walpole, NH - we went to Burdicks chocolate, breakfast at Murray's (for Gilmore Girls fans...think Luke's and you'd be right on!), Ruggles and Hunt and just walked along the common and enjoyed our time with family and the scenery. Sakari got to play with the cars and tracks that her Daddy did growing up...and she loved it! Also while in NH, we got the chance to make a quick trip to have dinner and visit with the amazing Steiger family! They are also an Ethiopia adoptive family of Jordan (Sakari's roommate from the transition home!) with AWAA. We had a BLAST!!!!!!!! It was so fun to get to finally meet them in person...and if Sakari wasn't about to pass out after tons of fun with Sam, Nate, Emma and Jo - we may have moved in with them for the night! We had so much fun getting to know them more and learn that they have family in Prague, Czech Republic. It's only the #1 place on my list of places to visit. Steigers, thanks for a great evening! Hope to do it again soon! Yesterday after a 7 hour train ride from NH to Newark, NJ - we were able to crash in a comfy hotel just minutes from the airport that tonight will take us home!!!! This trip alone has taken us through 9 states and all kinds of new milestones - Sakari has only been home with us for just over 5 months and has already been to 1/5th of the United States...our daughter is a TROOPER and incredibly adaptable...but truly there's no place like home!

Swimming in Miami and NYC tomorrow!!!

2008-07-15T21:00:00.004-05:00

Well, tomorrow we leave Miami with clean laundry and caught up on rest (well, mostly). Today we hung out at the pool and it was Sakari's first swim in the big pool - she loved it...and by that I mean, she LOVED it!!! We put her in her floatie and we played and played! She loved the splashing and especially loved it when she hung onto Momma and I swam underneath her and tickled her feet...we did that over and over and over! Notice the swimming pics and then notice the pic where she fell asleep on the bed while drinking her bottle. She was exhausted...in the afternoon I took Toni to the airport as she heads to Panama to facilitate a team there and this evening we had dinner and hung out with our good friend Johanna, who is also our travel agent - she's amazing! Then it was back to the hotel to put Sakari down to sleep and we are packing and watching a movie...as we prepare for Sakari first trip to the Big Apple! We plan to hit places like the Bronx Zoo (supposedly one of the best zoos for kids in the US), Toys R Us in Times Square, Children's museum...but just because are parents doesn't mean that we no longer are doing "our thing"...which entails shopping, going to SoHo and the Village, shopping, eating, shopping, eating...oh, eating at our favorite restaurant in the world - Perilla! We went back in September and we just have to go back - check it out at www.perillanyc.com We will post pics as much as possible while we are in NYC...on the 19th, we meet up with our team that is going to South Africa and get them all together and sent off to Johannesburg. Then on the 20th, we are taking a train up to Walpole, NH to visit my Mom's side of the family and also the Steiger and Laughner families (AWAA Ethiopia adoptive families)...the Steiger's sweet baby girl, Jordan, was one of Sakari's roommates at the transition home! So this post was kinda random and all over the place...welcome to my crazy, tired and slightly scattered world at the moment...after sleep tonight, the brain should be recovered and ready for fun in NYC!

Leaving Peru...

2008-07-12T17:02:00.003-05:00

So, the mission trip is coming to a close and it's been a great trip...but we are ready to be back in the US to do laundry and prepare for phase 2 of our summer trips. Next we'll be in Miami for a few days and then Toni (BWV staff) heads to run our Panama trip while we head up to NYC for a couple days of vacation then to meet up with our South Africa team at JFK to get them prepared and sent off. After they head out, we are going to jump on a train and go visit Caleb's Grammy for a couple days in NH and also to meet up with the Steiger's and Laughner's (fellow Ethiopia adoptive families). Pray for us as Becca and Sakari head out on the first flight from Peru to Miami and then Toni, Steve and I are sending off the remaining 6 flights to Miami. Toni and I will be working on this end, but also once we get to Miami to make sure all the 30 something tubs of equipment gets safely to the hotel and all 515 people make their domestic connections...basically a 72 hour day. We are believing that Sakari and Becca will get good rest on their flight and everything down to the last detail will go smoothly! Thanks for your prayers...we will try and post again in the next several days...maybe once we are in NYC...

We are also thinking and praying for our close friends, the Gibson family as they are in Ethiopia dealing with many obstacles, join us in believing for grace, strength and peace as they complete this amazing journey...

More Peru Pics :-)

2008-07-08T20:24:00.007-05:00

We had a great day, just hanging out and playing...also today marks the day that Sakari's confidence in walking took off! Something clicked and she wants to walk, turn, pivot and balance all the time! She's also really understanding sentences...like, "Hand Daddy the remote"...she finds it and gives it to us, same goes for Momma saying, "Where's the ball?" and in the midst of our crazy room full of stuff she finds it and starts to play with it. Our play time with her is also getting even more interactive...so fun! In these pics, you'll see that she's wearing Red Sox gear - thanks Uncle Josh and Auntie Val! And the light switches in our room are at her height...and she LOVES it! She also has learned how to climb into the kitchen cabinets and knows how to turn onto her belly and slide off the side of the bed (Momma has been teaching her). Sakari is also really starting to enjoy talking to the kids on the mission trip and already recognizes some of our close friends from the trip - she is a hit to be sure! She loves being on the stage during worship soundcheck and just dances around and sings and laughs and plays! She also enjoys looking out our room window and yelling at the kids who walk by, she's taken a liking to the hotel guy who cleans our rooms every day. And she seriously LOVES Toni! :-)

Llamas and the such...

2008-07-06T16:45:00.003-05:00

While we are facilitating the huge Brio mission team here in Lima, Peru - we don't have much time or ability to leave the resort/hotel premises...thankfully the El Pueblo is huge (we even need a golf cart to get around) and they have a tiny mini zoo and petting zoo...monkeys, birds, goats, ostriches and yes, the ever expected llama. We are getting into somewhat of a routine and Sakari is still feeling much better...still some runny nose issues, but she's loving the attention she gets from our friends and the Brio teen girls here. I've posted some pics from our last couple of days at the hotel, with Toni and even Rahel a 15 year old girl who is participating on the trip who was also adopted from Ethiopia just a year ago...the pic of Sakari making an "attitude" face is my fav especially because she totally doesn't have a bad one, the camera just caught a hilarious expression!

Leaving for Peru...

2008-07-02T23:01:00.003-05:00

Becca and Sakari are on a plane to Peru...I leave later tomorrow, so far we've seen off 175 or so of our mission trip participants. Got another 360 or so more to get onto flights at all hours of the morning. On our way to Florida for the team training, we got stuck in Houston for 8 hours or so...Sakari did great! I've posted a few pics of our packing and Sakari - she got a little cold the past few days but is doing much better...we are tired but overall all the details have gone extremely well! We had great help this year and now I'm officially sleep typing...Kari and Roger, glad you're having such a great time in Dubai!!! We will do our best to post some pics and such once we are in Peru...things get into a routine there and we should have some down time to post.

There should be pics posted soon from our 13 teams travel, ministry, etc. at www.briomissions.com

Finally a new video :0)

2008-06-19T08:52:00.003-05:00

Enjoy...LOTS of FUN!! Just playing, reading, playing with Papa, having a tea party with cousins Ema and Ember, picking up Sakari's US Citizen Certificate (that means we are officially DONE with adoption paperwork except for our post placement reports YAY!)...and SWIMMING!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

New Video of the week...

2008-06-08T21:48:00.001-05:00

A few more pics than videos this week but still funny...her aunt Dacia painted her toe nails and helped daddy with some crazy hair :0)

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

US Passport is here!!!

2008-06-05T15:01:00.003-05:00

YAY!!! Sakari's US Passport is here!!! We are SO EXCITED!!! Since we are traveling to Peru in just a few weeks...YAY!!

Look everybody...my passport!!

Really...LOOK...my PASSPORT!

Look at her 2 passports...notice the difference in her two pics...SO CUTE!

For all you other adopting parents...all you need to apply is the full and final adoption decree from your state (with any legal name changes and has to have the raised seal), the permanent residence card...and that is it...we sent a copy of our Ethiopian adoption decree, it wasn't really required but the lady at the post office said the more info the better. They didn't give us any trouble at all for what we needed...if you print off the passport app online with the directions it has what you need for applicants born abroad and #4 has specifics for people who have been adopted. Hope that helps! YAY for US PASSPORT!! :0)

Sakari's baby dedication...

2008-06-02T09:49:00.002-05:00

We had Sakari's baby dedication last night at church...it was amazing...what an awesome privilage to dedicate our child to the Lord. Here is the video...she enjoyed being on stage :0)...and she was trying to talk to her cousins who were standing behind us!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Video of the week...

2008-05-30T22:28:00.002-05:00

Here it is...the video for the last week of May :0) I had a few technical difficulties so it is in part 1 and part 2...ENJOY!

the first video is of her learning to blow her duck whistle...I obviously thought it was hilarious, then just some random Sakari craziness, showing off a little sign language, a day at the office and hanging out with aunt Dacia...

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The second video is her eating...it is funny!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy 14th month Birthday Sakari!!

2008-05-30T21:10:00.003-05:00

Today our sweet baby is 14 months old...I can hardly believe it...we feel like she is growing up SO fast...but we are enjoying every minute of it and documenting it as much as we possibly can! Here are a few random pics of this sweet girl!!

Her new cute elephant pj's...

"working" at the office...helping daddy get ready for the big trip to Peru!

Aunt Dacia put this on her head...SO CUTE!

The everchanging Sakari!

2008-05-27T18:36:00.006-05:00

I thought it would be fun to see how much Sakari has changed since she came into our family! So here is a picture a month...January to May. I think it is AMAZING how much she has changed!

January...when we first met her!

February...

March...

April...

May!

New Video...a week in the life of Sakari :0)

2008-05-24T18:07:00.003-05:00

so I've decided to archive my daughter's life in weekly video posts...we will see if we can keep up with it...ENJOY

video includes:
Seeing the Watoto African children's choir at our church last Sunday night...Sakari LOVED it.
And she has been walking with her push toys...going to start walking SO SOON!!
Playing with her Grammy and her cousin Ema...
And then just being sweet Sakari!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

New Video

2008-05-16T19:35:00.003-05:00

Enjoy our new video...and if you are a "gilmore girls" fan listen closely and you will hear the very first episode playing in the background...basically the sound track of our lives :0)

Sakari is getting so big and she is so funny...we laugh at her all the time...you will see why...

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

a few more pics...

2008-05-10T10:03:00.002-05:00

you can read our last post for details on our GREAT photo shoot!

Pics from Dejah Quinn!

2008-05-10T00:14:00.003-05:00

Here is a sample of some of our pics from our photo session with Dejah Quinn (www.dejahquinn.com) we found her on the celebrating adoption website and traveled to Shawnee, OK for her to take our pics...she did an AMAZING job and we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the pics she took of our sweet baby...if you live in the area or if you're in the mood for a road trip...you must go see her for a photo session...and tell her we sent you!!

Fun at the ZOO!!!

2008-05-04T21:23:00.003-05:00

Well...we are making it a few days without daddy...he is in Panama! And let me say...we miss him so much!!! He is such a huge help to me and so good with Sakari...she has been looking for him. But thankfully, we have GREAT technology that allows us to video chat with him...so she just yelled at his face on the computer screen and blew him kisses. Caleb and I were talking about how crazy amazing the technology is...who would have ever thought we could see his face and talk to him while he is in another country!!! So to occupy some of our time, we went to the zoo with my sister and her youngest daughter...it was ALOT of fun :0) and what a BEAUTIFUL day!! Here are some pics from our day: checking out the giant trantula "Rosie", riding the carousel, isn't the pic of the back of the girls heads so cute...they were very interested in the whitetail doves that were running around, feeding a leaf to the goat, and petting/brushing a goat with her Aunt Dacia and cousin Ember!

Successful Re-Adoption!

2008-05-02T17:52:00.004-05:00

Our court hearing went off seamlessly, the judge waived the typically required 6 month waiting time frame for us in OK and signed the petition to legally change her name from Misrak Caleb David to Sakari Ava Misrak David. Soon she will receive an Oklahoma birth certificate and we'll be on the way to getting her a US passport! Woohoo! The whole experience was great, our attorney was very good and the judge said that she saw Sakari as she walked in from lunch and that Sakari caught her eye...even before we entered her courtroom. She was very warm and friendly and excited for us...she even had her bailiff takes pics for us - we've posted them on here, notice the pic of us and the judge...and who is holding the gavel!!! The longest part was waiting to be called but once we got in there, it took about 10 minutes...it was a great experience!!! A quick tip on attorney fees...we have Pre-Paid Legal service for just about $25 a month and it cut our attorney fees in half! Well worth it...it might be something to look into if you're an adoptive family...enjoy the pics of the re-adoption and us playing in our front yard this evening!

Nothing but Cuteness!

2008-04-28T22:41:00.004-05:00

So Happy...and Apologies...

2008-04-25T21:39:00.003-05:00

We are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy to announce that Sakari officially has a new Ethiopian cousin referred to the Gibson's, our adopted family :-) Today, after 8 months of waiting...Zoie Elise Gibson was matched with Uncle Rog, Aunti Kiki, Michael and Hannah. We are so excited for them!!!! Thanks for the call - love you guys!

The apologies are because we still haven't done our "tagged" blog...it's our crazy time of year at work (organizing all the tiniest details and logistics for a group of 515 people that we are responsible for taking to Peru in 2 months - www.briomissions.com)...and I continue to build my case by saying we are planning 2 other mission trips to South Africa and Panama (www.bigworld.org)...this doesn't include our Mission Threads endeavor, creating a new website layout, helping some with my brother's home school and Christian school, One Child Campaign or day to day life with Sakari...so along with the undone house projects...looks like our game of "tag" may not get done...those are my reasons - but yet I am filled with chagrin :-)

We Have a Re-Adoption Court Date!

2008-04-18T22:16:00.003-05:00

Well, our adoption attorney has successful scheduled us a court hearing to finalize our petition for re-adoption in the state of Oklahoma. This will officially change Sakari's name from Misrak Caleb David to Sakari Ava Misrak David! We will then be able to get her an Oklahoma birth certificate, etc. It looks like the judge is going to waive the 6 month waiting period so that we can apply to get her US passport before our summer mission trips. Interestingly enough, the hearing is scheduled for May 2nd, which just happens to be the exact date that the David family moved to Oklahoma in 1991 when I was 11 years old. If we haven't mentioned it lately...our daughter is AMAZING and adoption is the greatest thing in the world! I'm just sayin'

Professional Adoption Pics by Dejah Quinn Photography AND Sakari Developmental updates...

2008-04-12T20:57:00.004-05:00

Hey all!

This past Thursday we took an hour and a half drive to Shawnee, OK to get more, yes more professional pics taken...these are way more professional than the Sears ones we took several weeks ago...anyway, we will post them when we get a chance - we should have proofs in about 3 weeks or so. But if any of you are in the Oklahoma area and in the adoption process, we seriously recommend these guys - they are awesome and soooo worth the drive. They waive the sitting fee and have great other deals for adoptive families. More information at www.dejahquinn.com or call them for more info at 405-273-2779- tell them we sent you (they have a great referral program too :-) Have a great weekend!!!

On the Sakari end of things, we had 2 meetings with Sooner Start, an organization that comes out in the state of Oklahoma to assess adoptive families children at no charge. The first meeting went well and the guy said that he was sure that Sakari is definitely not delayed in any way. We decided to go ahead and have the speech pathologist and clinical psychologist come out just because we were curious where she stood in her age group, etc...and those staff were awesome too. Long story short, she is average to above average...the things she he scored average in was mainly because she didn't want to imitate showing us where her nose and tongue were, etc. and some of the imitating things...she's getting tired of us asking her to copy us, it's so funny! And in one area is doing stuff that is 18 months instead of 12! Our pediatrician also told us some of things she is doing is at least 15 months. The 2 people that came out said that they knew really quickly (probably the fastest of any evaluation they have ever done) that she was not delayed...they were pretty blown away by how well she has attached to us and can tell the difference between family and strangers. We are going to get a hearing screening done just because it's alo a service they provide...but it was great to know where she stands in normal development. She is a very vocal baby (in a good way) and the speech pathologist was loving it and said that within the next 6 months she should be speaking in short sentences...what??!

We posted a couple of recent pics, including one of Sakari wearing one of my hats, part of the river that began to run in our backyard during the recent storms (Kari - we are still praying for you guys and your parents...talk soon!)....we noticed the picture taking has slowed down some but we are still enjoying every minute!

New Videos...

2008-04-05T11:22:00.011-05:00

So....our daughter is thinking of becoming a professional wrestler! :0)

and she is discovering new things everyday!!

Trying out her new slide she got for her birthday...

Lilacs and our Little Girl...

2008-04-02T21:33:00.006-05:00

It's amazing how much can happen in one day. I discovered my lilac bush (that I planted shortly after we moved in to our new house last year) is blooming!!!!! It smells AMAZING!!! I planted it right outside the master suites' french doors and it's all I can do to not walk in and out all evening long! Yesterday (all of a sudden), Sakari decides she was the stair master...and by that I mean, something clicked and she was climbing the stairs - check out the pic for proof. She's also been talking and talking and talking! Hmmm...who does that sound like?? Don't judge me.

In case we haven't mentioned it, Sakari has been showing us where her nose is, her tongue and sometimes even her eyes...and also sometimes we ask how old she is and she will put up one finger. She loves looking out the west windows into the backyard yelling at the dogs, the willows and the sunset.

This morning while we were getting ready to all go into the office (she plays in the master bath floor while we get ready...) she started turning the bathtub water faucet on and off...on and off...on and off! She was cracking up...she's so funny, she loves figuring stuff out and showing it off!

Grammy (Caleb's Mom) came over tonight to hang out and play...and smell the lilacs (must be where my lilac love came from)...we took some pics with Grammy and Sakari taking time to smell them.

Things have been busy...short version: work stuff, getting ready for missions, refinancing the house, scheduling post placement visits, emergency vet visits for our chocolate lab (who now has a Frankenstein ear with staples in it), day to day and taking time to just enjoy our sweet baby girl!

Being Tagged....

2008-03-30T21:08:00.003-05:00

So...at some point, we will post our tags...not sure if that makes sense or not, but wow...seems like that's gonna take a bunch of brainpower I don't have right now, especially since we've been tagged 3 times in a week or so...but we love you all and will post those when we get a chance to do so, we want it to be good...so when the inspiration hits, watch out!

Sakari's First Birthday Party...and a few other pics :-)

2008-03-24T22:20:00.003-05:00

Although her real birthday is March 30th, tonight we had her party...there were tons of people that came and it was a huge success! We know of many others that weren't able to make it and we still had at least 45 to 50 people in our house! It was so much fun and we got pics and video...we are posting pics only on this post, but she loved all of us singing to her! She knew the party was for her and she greeted each person at the door with a loud yell...she did great!

The Zoo, Movies and Other Happenings

2008-03-22T21:06:00.007-05:00

Well, it's been a full and fun week! Grandma and Papa Villasenor came to visit last week and are here until after Sakari's first birthday party on Monday...her actual birthday is the 30th, but this is when most people were able to make it especially our out of town family. Today we went to the zoo with Papa, Grandma, Uncle TG, Aunt Dacia and their kiddos...our first zoo excursion other than the lion zoo in Ethiopia, though I'm a fan of big cats and lions the lion zoo isn't exactly a world class zoo...other than lions, there may have been 4 other species...anyway, it was a fun day and we spent a few hours looking at animals and she loved it. I've posted some pics of our day today...and I'm happy to report she seems as intrigued with animals as her Daddy. She took a ride on the animal carousel with Momma, waved at everyone the whole time and loved it!!!

Sakari is still eating really well! A couple of GREAT baby food books that we are using (and by we, I mean Becca :-) are called Super Baby Foods and the other is Nourishing Traditions. They have incredible tips and Sakari is progressing really, really well...eating her scrambled egg yolks, super porridges and organic veggies and fruits! We also have her on an incredible all natural, glyconutritional product called Ambrotose by a great company called Mannatech. We mix half a scoop of it with her morning bottle...we are convinced this is one of the reasons she is developing so well physically and mentally. We are going to have Sooner Start come and do an evaluation of her, it is free service made available for adoptive parents in OK done by a development specialist, so we'll see...Becca and I have taken their products for years and so it was natural to get Sakari on it also. Since we have been home...she hasn't been sick for a single day!

AND...who says your life is over and you can't do anything once you have kids...boo on the naysayers!!!! Sure the schedule changes some, but guess what??! We went to the movies this week - yeah, I said it - we went to the movies, it's gets even more controversial...Sakari went with us. Insert "gasp" here or spew water our your mouth and nose...whichever is more appropriate in your mind. We all went to go see Horton Hears a Who, which was great by the way. Sakari loved it and did really well but was a little confused why it was dark for so long - she was glued to the screen while she snacked on puffed cereal and Cheerios like a movie going pro. She got a little antsy about half way through and Momma took her home but we are just so proud of how she is adjusting...and I guess just as proud of ourselves for how we have adjusted. Sure it's been a continuing adjustment...but one I wouldn't trade for the world.

Side Note: We have officially decided to become associates in the state of Oklahoma for our adoption agency - America World Adoption Agency (www.awaa.org). We decided to get as involved as possible in helping them in any way possible to make a difference for future adoptive families and their children.

Other happenings are that Sakari has quickly learned and loves to show off the fact that she knows not only where her nose is, but also shows others where their noses are just in case they forgot. She also is aware of her tongue...which sometimes gets her into trouble when she's eating :-) But when we ask her where her nose is, she points and sometimes shoves her finger up her nose - LOL - and then she proceeds to point at our noses! When we ask her where her tongue is...she sticks it out or puts her finger in her mouth to find it...so cute! You'll notice in the pic with Papa that she is sitting with him at his laptop and at one point picked up the mouse and tried to put it in her mouth...it's amazing how God put her into our family because when it comes to technical things such as computers, cameras, DVD players, cords, etc...Sakari is so into it, like her Momma. And she is also a people person like her Daddy...just one example of how she was created just for us...enjoy the pics...and if you haven't adopted yet - um, well you should cuz it's the best thing in the world. Selah.

Slideshow of our Photo Session...

2008-03-21T16:08:00.002-05:00

Some pics from our photo session for Sakari's first birthday!

Sakari's Journey Home!

2008-03-20T20:23:00.002-05:00

This slideshow is of the last year of our lives...our Journey to bringing Sakari home. Including...our first trip to Ethiopia in Feb 2005, our fundraising benefit concert with One Child Campaign, our "paper" pregnancy, and our trip to Ethiopia to pick up our sweet baby girl...ENJOY!

Tulsa Friends: Pacey, Ruby and Sakari...

2008-03-19T21:44:00.006-05:00

Here are pics of us with our friends Jocelyn (ET adoptive mom of Pacey) and Kerri (Guatemala adoptive mom of Ruby and ET dossier in progress). Anyone else think that Pacey and Sakari look like sisters???!

New Video...

2008-03-16T16:47:00.005-05:00

Piano playing...we may have the next Mozart on our hands :0)

I don't wanna brag...but we have hot water!

2008-03-13T11:19:00.007-05:00

Yep, the plumbing problem is fixed! Praise God!!! It was a little less painful than anticipated...now, onto getting the insurance checks and home warranty figured out. Now, for the real fun stuff...Sakari officially blew a kiss yesterday (while Becca was talking to her on the phone)...Becca was running an errand and I was feeding Sakari, she heard her Momma on the phone and talked and talked and blew her a kiss!!! She's also doing this really cute and funny gesture when she gets excited...she shakes intensely and just has the cheesiest smile! So great!!! Another new thing to us today...is that she has learned how to drink through a straw, Becca found a great Nuby, no leak cup with a straw...and in a matter of 3 tries, our girl had it down.

Oh...and Sakari has an official website now...well, at least the domain is ours and we have it forwarded here to the blog - watch out world, here comes www.sakaridavid.com. In the meantime, here's some more pics to enjoy - believe me, there are way more and we're only posting some of our favs...you'll notice the Boston Red Sox hat in one of them, the Bible does say to raise up a child in the way she should go...I'm just taking it literally :-)

SSN, taxes, re-adoption and the day to day...

2008-03-11T20:16:00.003-05:00

We have been uber-busy with the details of finding a re-adoption attorney, getting our taxes together and finding a good CPA that specializes in international adoption, getting Sakari's SSN/card, trying to get Becca well (she's had that horrible cough - it's lasted over a week, but she's about to kick it), etc. We had to get her SSN in order to file our taxes, thankfully after Becca waited for a long time at the Social Security office...about one week later (today) we got her card in the mail!!! We got that info sent over to our CPA...and we eagerly await to see if we will get a refund - here's to hoping!

On top of all that stuff and the day to day of working, hanging out with the baby, playing, cleaning, playing, doing laundry, dishes, picture taking, planning Sakari's first birthday...we also are having an issue with a slab leak...we discovered just over a week ago that we were losing a half gallon of hot water every minute! Yes, every minute. Long story short, we have had plumbers, insurance adjustors and contractors coming into the house. We have no hot water anywhere in the kitchen which is a huge pain!!! We are thankful we caught it when we did by finding hot spots in our floor...basically they are going to have re-pipe the kitchen and replace our floors. We are hoping that the plumber can get the major project started soon so things are somewhat back to normal before family comes in town for the birthday shin-dig. Yeah, exciting...but God always turns things around for good...can't wait to see how this one turns out...

Follow up to last post and yes, more pics!!

2008-03-03T20:47:00.000-06:00

Ethiopian Food, Friends and Pics

2008-03-03T20:06:00.005-06:00

It's been a while since a post...but we have been having a blast getting to know Sakari better...she is hysterical, sweet and oh so smart! Grandma Villasenor got to come and visit last week, we had a blast. This weekend we went to OKC for Sakari's first road trip to visit Caleb's best friend and his family and also to meet up with several other families from OKC and Tulsa that have adopted from Ethiopia or are in process. We had so much fun and posted these pics...enjoy!!!

new videos...

2008-02-24T12:25:00.001-06:00

here are a couple of videos...one of her dancing and one of her telling me a story :0)

We Want YOU!!!

2008-02-22T16:27:00.002-06:00

Good afternoon, everyone!

We just wanted to let you know about the summer mission trips we have scheduled that are still open to your participation. Our South Africa trip is shaping up to be an incredible time of ministry and adventure – currently we only have about 20 seats left on this trip and wanted to be sure and let you know of this so if you were interested, you could get your applications sent in right away to confirm this mission trip. We expect it to be filled up within the next month and would love for you to be a part of the team.

Another awesome option is the Focus on the Famil/Brio mission trip to Peru – more info and a video available at www.briomissions.com , this trip is less expensive than South Africa and will also be life changing! The theme of this year’s Brio trip is Live Inside Out!
What does it mean to live inside out?
It means you take that life-giving, soul-stirring, mark-making faith you've got on the inside and use it to do something incredible on the outside. If you're ready to start making a difference in your world, now's your chance. Join us for a supercharged summer of incredible impact in Lima, Peru. The world may never be the same.

If you have just recently sent in your application, please email us and let us know when so that we can be looking for it and process it with priority. If you just want more information, email or call us. We are looking forward to talking with you soon – email or call us to get started with your summer mission trip! You won’t want to miss one of these rare and unique ministry opportunities!

Caleb David
caleb@bigworld.org
1-800-599-8778
www.bigworld.org

P.S. I couldn't help but post another pic of Sakari - this time it's with me at the office :-)

Sleep and the Chastiser...

2008-02-20T20:38:00.002-06:00

Well - I'm now known to my family members as The Chastiser. Sure, that sounds bad...but it's because this new dad and mom have started to recognize when Sakari just wants attention. She is a smart cookie. She learned quickly what things would wake us up and get us to rush to her bed. Here's the deal...as part of the attachment we had decided to have her sleep in a pack and play in our room. After about 3 weeks of that...and might I add, no sleep...well, that's a bit dramatic but we were lucky to get 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night and 5 hours was considered sleeping in. So, 6 nights ago...when the pleas for nothing but attention wouldn't cease, Dad cooked up a plan. Baby's gonna have to cry it out...in her room. Laying down the law...with love (by this I mean, I made sure she wasn't sick, hurting, hungry or had a full diaper). I was enforcing my authority. Hence, the Chastiser...wait until you see my cape!

Here's how it went down...

Night 1: I camped out on her bedroom floor, we felt it would be best for Momma to get some sleep and not have to hear the heart wrenching crying. So night one was a combo of creaks in my neck, 2 hours of non-stop wailing...believe it or not, I was so determined to break the pattern that I was not too moved by it. I even got to catch up on some of my TiVo watching. She was up quite a few times, not much sleep but she did get herself calmed down, found her pacifier and went to sleep for good...I chalked it up as a small victory, progress at least.

Night 2: Crying lasted just an hour...then she went to sleep, but this night I had moved to the guest room bed. She woke me up several times with crying and whining but she quickly learned to go back to sleep...but the crying hit my core more than the night before...wow, I just busted out a rhyme.

Night 3: She slept until midnight, cried for 15 minutes and she went to sleep. She got her regular bottle around 1am (the nannies gave them lots of bottles to pacify them...we've gotten her down from 6 to 8 bottles (8 oz.) that included a couple that she got used to at night to just 1 4 oz. bottle in the night. She slept until 7:45am

Night 4: Chastiser still in the guest room...my cape, well...it's my house coat. My house coat, determination, taste of progress, bottle and the pacifier... these are my weapons. She only cried about 20 to 30 minutes...slept longer through her normal bottle time...woke up at 2am, back to sleep at 2:30am and out until almost 8am.

Night 5: I got to sleep in my own bed...it was the "big step". She literally slept from 8pm until 8am. VICTORY!!!!!!! I changed her poopy diaper at 11pm - she slept through it. I got up at 5:15 realizing that I had a drink of the sweet nectar of almost 6 hours of un-interrupted sleep. I went into her room to make sure all was ok...she was snoring. She cried a little at 5:50am and Becca reminded me that she hadn't had a bottle yet...so I went in and gave her 4 oz. and she was out again...until 8am.

The Chastiser has prevailed. Now...onto the dropping game with food and the dogs...tools in her arsenal are known as cuteness, brains, smiles and the forehead look - stay tuned...

a few more pics :0)

2008-02-13T20:42:00.004-06:00

Sleeping on the couch :0) (totally a kid after our own hearts!!) Hanging with aunt christy...and cousin ema...Working at Big World and making important decisions with daddy!!

some pics from our week...

2008-02-12T20:35:00.000-06:00

hanging out at home...hanging out with aunt grace and uncle jeremy...cousins, Eythan, Ema and Ember and aunt dacia

Sakari at home...

2008-02-12T20:24:00.000-06:00

Traveling home!

2008-02-10T21:07:00.001-06:00

Last day at transition home...she is OURS!

2008-02-10T21:05:00.001-06:00

Day 1 and 2 with Sakari!

2008-02-10T21:01:00.001-06:00

Travel to Ethiopia

2008-02-10T20:56:00.000-06:00

For Those Who Asked About Shirts...

2008-02-10T19:33:00.001-06:00

We do still have some available...we'd LOVE to clear these out!!!!! These can be purchased through PayPal or by sending us a check...the shirts are $15 each and all proceeds go to help us finish off paying for our Ethiopia adoption. We have 2 different styles...there are pics of these shirts posted in some of our older posts...email us at calebandbecca@cox.net if you have any other questions, thanks!!!

1. MISSION THREADS ETHIOPIA ADOPTION PROJECT TEES:

a. Unisex Black tees with charcoal gray ink
8 Small
6 Medium
2 XXL

b. Turquoise Ladies cut tees with charcoal gray ink
2 XS
1 XL
4 XXL

c. Gray Vintage old navy tees with light gray ink
2 Medium
2 Large

2. EXPECTING FROM ETHIOPIA SHIRTS:

Unisex Chocolate brown with mustard ink
3 Small
2 Medium
2 in XL

Ladies cut: 2 in XL

At Long Last...HOME!!!!

2008-02-03T12:23:00.000-06:00

We made it! We didn't know if it would ever happen - we had just about a 35 hour travel day...yeah, that long! And...that was with just over 5 hours of sleep for the whole time, not to mention we left the hospitality home at 4pm...and had been up since around 7am that day. So...all that to say, we were wiped!!!! Overall it was pretty good travel - especially with a little kiddo. Sakari did great...she only cried about 3 or 4 times the whole trip and soon settled. Once in Houston, we went through the immigration line and then got pulled aside because of Sakari's immigrant visa and taken to the waiting room for processing. We didn't know if this was standard procedure (as we were not told ahead of time that this would happen) and we were so tired, hungry and just wanted to be home. We ended up waiting almost an hour then got finished and headed to get some food. We stopped at Chili's and by the time we got there, both Becca and I were so exhausted that we were incredibly dizzy and lightheaded and felt that way for a few hours. We landed in Tulsa around 8:45pm and we had to literally wake Sakari up from deep sleep as we walked down the hallway to our waiting family and friends. You would have thought that some rock star was in the building...the yelling and screaming and waving began as soon as we were barely in sight. It was SO good to see everyone that had so closely walked this journey with us. Sakari was quiet at first (but not for long!) just observing and then began smiling, waving and chatting with everyone! We couldn't have imagined a more perfect transition so far!!! She is so adaptable and happy. We didn't get any pics on our camera of our arrival and greeting people...but hopefully soon we can get them from our friends and family to post. Sakari is so perfect for our lives...everyone was amazed at how engaging and friendly she was last night. Speaking of last night...we got home, Becca's sis Christy drove us back in our 4Runner (we were in no shape to drive!) and got to chat for a few and then get ready for bed. We put Sakari down to sleep around 10 to sleep and she slept until about 12:30...and was up with Becca until at least 3:30am, she just didn't want to sleep cuz it was day time in Ethiopia. We got in bed just before 12:30 and wow...a bed never, ever felt so good...I was out and at one point while trying to get Sakari back to sleep was rambling annoyingly and without making any sense - per Becca and I do remember bits and pieces, but wow I was delirious! We got up around 6:30 this morning...got some breakfast and coffee and then started the unpacking process. We posted a pic of Sakari's first bath at home...in the kitchen sink. My mom brought us bagels this morning and lunch this afternoon...it was so great! Sakari loves her Grammy already and her Auntie Grace and Uncle Jeremy are on their way now for a few minutes. Christy, Becca's sis...is currently at Walmart getting us some grocery basics (like half and half and organic sugar for my coffee :-) Our family and friends are AMAZING and have also been great at balancing being supportive and understanding of our need for continued bonding. We are still very tired but happy to be home!!!! We keep looking at the clock...when is nap time???! We need sleep :-)

Traveling Home...

2008-02-01T19:14:00.001-06:00

Hi! We know it's been almost a week since our last post, but things have
been good. We've had a great 6 extra days of bonding with Sakari and
though we've been unusually homesick, we know we made the right choice by
staying longer. We are now in Dubai...it's 5am here, I've been up almost
24 hours...and our 17 hour flight from here to Houston doesn't leave for
another 3 hours...then it's an hour and a half to Tulsa...so we'll be home
in about 24 hours longer. We are SO ready. For our family, friends, house,
bed, church, work, etc...

Since I'm so tired, I will keep this short and sweet...cuz whose knows
what I will say when we're this delirious :0) Becca and Sakari are
sleeping now - tried to get a hotel room, but all that was left was a room
for over $600 for just about 5- hours of use, so it's an Emirates airlines
stroller for Sakari and the floor for Becca...me...well, I'm just on our
Mac checking email, sipping Dunkin Donuts coffee. One not so fortunate
update is that Becca's eyes had been bugging her...hurting, really red and
we thought possibly infected...we thought maybe pink eye...well it moved
into her other eye this morning and it was worse than the first. Once we
got to Dubai and she was just miserable she went to a medical center her
in the airport. Turns out it's some sort of weird bacterical infection. I
felt so bad for her - but they got her examined in less than 30 minutes
and gave her 2 kinds of eye drops including an antibiotic and they didn't
charge us a penny!!! She's feeling much better now...

Sakari's first plane ride was great! It feel during her bed time, but
she's so curious and just friendly that she was having too much fun to
sleep. Becca finally got her to sleep and she stayed asleep for a few
hours. Then while Becca was at the medical office here in the Dubai
airport, she woke up and after a brief initial cry...she went back to
waving at people, smiling, talking and just having fun. It took several
long walks in her stroller (with blankets covering her view - this airport
is huge, packed and crazy!) for her to finally wind down and go out for
the count.

We will try and post more pics when we get home...we've been without high
speed internet for the past week so hence the lack of posting. We have
really missed the other 4 families that were there with us and can't wait
to read their updates since they have been home. 23 hours...and 50
minutes...and counting...and we'll be home!