Laughner's Journey to Ethiopia

My Montage 2/22/11 at OneTrueMedia.com

2011-02-23T08:43:00.001-08:00

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One Month Home, Praising God!

2011-02-22T08:26:00.000-08:00

We just want to say WOW, what a journey! Since 2007 we have adopted 2 children from Ethiopia! There are 2 less orphans in the world! Thank you God for the blessing we have received! Thank you for never leaving us, for being with us each step of the way! You had a plan and were paving the way even when we couldn't see it!

We have had the pleasure of working with AWAA for both of our adoptions! We are so very thankful for the amazing Christian Agency and the wonderful Christian friends that we have made along the way! If you have ever considered adopting please ask us to share our story and please check out AWAA (America World Adoption Agency). We are so thankful to have had AWAA walk with us every step of the way and to know that they always had our back and were handling things with morals and integrity! They truly were looking out for true orphans! The guides and staff in Ethiopia are amazing and we are blessed to have spent time with each of them!

Home one month: Well one month ago today, Tamenech and I arrived in the US. We are a family of 8! We now have 6 kids 3 boys and 3 girls with no Alice as a housekeeper! Things are going great, better than expected, but that does not mean things are easy or not exhausting. Every day is a little easier than the day before. We are making progress, we now can communicate with each other pretty well. Tamenech understands more than she says, but communicates her needs and desires pretty well in English! She is eating our food and enjoying it. She sleeps through the night and lays down (not happily) for an hour of quiet time a day while Daniel naps (she needs it and I need it more). We have attended church 3 times, twice with her staying with us and once with me taking her to children church. I plan on taking her to children church this week and then letting her try it with Benjamin the following week. She has attended story time with Daniel two times and loves it when they sing songs she knows. She joins right in and participates happily. She has been to two weeks of Pioneer Clubs once with me and once she went to class by herself with Daniel! She is very proud of her new club church shirt! Thank you Mrs. Wilkinson for making her feel so comfortable! She was even sharing some Amharic words with the other clubbers teaching them how to say names of animals! Tamenech has gone to many basketball games (we have 3 kids playing) and soccer games. She sees no reason that she shouldn't join them with a basketball on the court during the game... yes I have chased her off the court more than once! She has been shopping, out to dinner, to a birthday party, and to an Ethiopian celebration! She is doing well!

I would have to say the hardest things right now are making it through a parking lot. The driving in Ethiopia is kind of scary (alright really scary, especially if you are walking or trying to cross the road). Pedestrians do not have the right away and you better get out of the way of a car. Well here pedestrians do have the right of way and we are safe to walk through a parking lot. She is terrified and at times it is extremely difficult to get her through a parking lot (walking willingly without carrying her). This is going to take time! We are over the fear of the dog (at least ours) we have not met up with other animals at this point. She is still very nervous if I leave the house with out her to run to the store. She does not like being with out me. This too will take time! We need to prove to her that we are forever, she has lost so much in so many ways and yet gained so much in other ways! We need to overcome the tantrums and the hiding of things. Tamenech seems to scream and throw fits if someone bumps her, has something that she wants, or someone tells her that something belongs to them. We are getting better the screaming used to last about an hour, now it is down to 10-15 minutes even less sometimes. Tamenech thinks that everything in her room is hers and everything that she picks up anywhere else is hers. We are trying to teach her that it doesn't have to be hers to play with, that if it belongs to Daniel instead of taking it and hiding it just ask.... Daniel can I play with this! Hiding things: well lets see, if you don't know where something is, check her room or her purse. If you make her bed, who knows what you might find in the covers or under the pillow (nail polish, food, pens, toys, etc.).

We have come so far! The first week, she would not touch dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.) and she was not speaking much English. At 3 weeks of being home, we were walking through the grocery store and she yelled out "Hi my name is Tamenech and may I have a piece of cheese please? Wow, not only asking to eat cheese, knowing where they would give her a piece (gotta love the deli) and look at that long sentence!!! Every day we experience new firsts with her and see her grow more! We are so thankful to have her here with us!

We thank you for following our journey and supporting us every step of the way!

Wow, we have been home for over a week now!

2011-01-31T05:38:00.000-08:00

Here we are Monday morning, home 9 days! We have been to the doctor, had blood work (which so far has all came back good), gone to basketball games, church, an Ethiopian Celebration, met new people and much more.... On Saturday night we went to an Ethiopian Celebration with a Boston group of adoptive families and our dear friends the Steigers! We all had some traditional Ethiopia dishes and yes injera! They had crafts for the kids, dinner, a coffee ceremony, and Ethiopian music. A nice time was had by all! I took the kids off to church on Sunday morning, while Tom took Michael in to have a strep test. Yes, he has strep! It has been a crazy week with medical issues... Allison has a sprained hand, from a basketball injury and another issue going on. I have to say Tamenech is healthier than some in our house right now.

Tamenech is doing great, she is a bit like a toddler. She is very curious and exploring everything. Everyday is more English and a little more independence! She has some maturing to do to reach her actual age, but that is to be expected. Everyday they spend in the orphanage, the more they lose. She was out of a family setting for 9 months. The adjustments are are going much easier than we thought they would.

Sara has been home this weekend and it has been nice to have everyone in one house! Sweet T is enjoying her time with her big sis!

Our next couple of days!

2011-01-26T06:10:00.000-08:00

Monday and Tuesday have come and gone! We are doing great! We need to get over the jet lag (or should I say, I need to). We ventured out to the bus stop Monday morning with the boys, it was -10 degrees. We were freezing. she was a little concerned when the boys got on the bus and left! We then ventured off to the store to pick up a few items. She was happy to see bananas but not happy to put them up to pay for them. She was happy again to see that she got them back to take them home! Daniel and Tamenech rode in the cart together. She did not like the cheese that the deli passed out. We played at home and then headed to the doctor for a check up. She was 44 pounds and 3ft 7 in. The doctor thought that she looked great and at this time has no concerns except getting her used to the office. We headed over to the lab on Tuesday with stool samples and to get blood work done! She did not like the blood work, but who does. We survived it and lived to tell about it! We now wait to see that it all comes back good!
Tuesday evening we ventured out to Michael's basketball game. She did great, wasn't sure about all the noise. She is playing well, eating well, and bonding with us! She slept through the night last night which was a first since we have been home. Every day she is a little more willing to try new foods. She actually ate cereal with milk on it and ate a string cheese. A favorite right now is tacos and burritos, but instead of eating them like we do, I tore up tortilla shells (like injera) and piled the toppings on her plate so she could eat it like an Ethiopian meal with injera. She was all smiles and begging for more of the meat and refried beans and rice. She is a great eater.
Today we are staying home most of the day and heading over to clubs tonight if there isn't too much snow by then. This will be her first trip to the church! Yesterday morning it was snowing and she loved it. She was all smiles, loved touching it, making tracks in it, and seeing snow on others hats and hair. Everything is a first and it is fun to see it through her eyes!
Her favorites seem to be playing dolls (doing there hair), coloring, puzzles, balloons, and my i pad!
She understanding more English everyday! She is curious and it is a bit like having a new toddler around, but is quickly learning the rules of the house. She also loves singing in English and Amharic, this girl is always singing! What a sweet girl.

Our first full day home!

2011-01-24T04:06:00.000-08:00

We were all up fairly early, but started the day with smiles. We had scrambled eggs and pancakes. Tamenech ate well but is not willing to try milk. She does not like cheese and has tried but not wanted yogurt... hhmmmm not sure what we will do! Time will tell, at least she is eating. Her two beverage choices have been water and pineapple juice. In the morning the kids were running and playing Tamenech was scared of the dog. By afternoon she was letting the dog lick her and was petting her. They are now friends. Tamenech thinks that since Daniel looks like her that he should speak Amharic. She jabbers non stop to him. He thinks that she is being silly so he mimics her. It is funny to listen to them. They must have ran at least 50 laps around the house together. He said wow Dad, she is fast. She loves the phone and wants to call and say hello to everyone! Buttons are still a novelty, the phones, ipads, computers, dish washer, washer, etc. She is definitely curious and exploring. There has been some jealousy but no more than we would expect. The house was not quiet, it was full of giggles all day! She had her first bath and was full of smiles. Over all a perfect day!
Allison said that Tamenech woke up 3 time in the night just to check that she was still there. As soon as she heard Allison she went right back to sleep. Today we go to see the doctor for her in country check up! Then off for blood work today or tomorrow. Tom is back to work and teaching tonight and jet lag is in full swing. Praying for a successful day.

and we are together!

2011-01-23T15:41:00.000-08:00

Our journey HOME!!!

2011-01-23T03:53:00.000-08:00

Packed and ready to go at the guest house! We said our good byes to the wonderful Coffaro and Ewing Families! It was so bittersweet. We were so happy to come home but so sad to leave them! I really wish that we could of all come home together! These families were wonderful and really helped me out, and watched over me since I was there alone! Tamenech really enjoyed her time with their boys! They had so much fun chatting, playing, and taunting each other! I truly have made new friends. A funny thing is the Coffaro family has a daughter that was born at the same hospital as Allison a few days apart 13 years ago. We were both living in Granger IN, but did not know each other. We are now on the east coast and they are on the west coast!

We were picked up around 6:30 and headed to the airport. We were traveling with the Herwehe Family, they were returning from their court trip. I am so thankful that I had their help to make it through the airport! I showed them the way and they helped with Sweet T. It was great to have extra hands and eyes! We made it to the check in counter and through customs (thankfully) before all of the computers went down! We then were headed up to where the gates were! We get to the escalator and Tamenech is scared to death! Thank goodness, Laura Herwehe was there and we both held her hands and lifted he onto it! AS soon as she was standing on the escalator, she started smiling. She now says one, two, three and steps on and off them. She thinks they are fun! We went to a little restaurant with the Herwehe family to kill some time! We had a good time just sharing stories! We then ventured over to the security line to head to our gate! We waited in line, got through security, put our shoes back on and waited in one more line. Then Tamenech says shint. Yikes, there are no bathrooms in the secure area. So we left our bags with the Herwehe family and left the secure area to go back to the same bathroom that we had just left. We then head back to the security line and go through security again.

We find out our flight is going to be delayed by an hour. Well that hour goes by and we are still not boarding. Tamenech is so tired, she is starting to fall asleep. I had to keep her awake as there is no way that I could carry her and all of our stuff on the plane. She was tearing up and the tears weer coming full stream! We still wait....

About an hour after the plane was supposed to take off, we finally started boarding. She got in her seat buckled up and went to sleep before take off! She slept all the way to Rome (for refueling). She was awake for part of that time, and was back asleep before we took off! She slept for a while, had breakfast and played. We then battled it out... She wanted to play but was yawning, I wanted her to sleep. After some time (no tears and no screaming) I won and she fell back asleep. She slept for about 5 more hours. She woke up and had beef and rice for a meal. NO vegetables or fruit. We have some work to do! She then played the last 2 1/2 hours of hour flight. As we are landing she is singing a song about America, mostly in Amharic, but you can hear the AMERICA. She is so excited. I had someone explain to her in Amharic that we would be in DC for a little bit, that she needed to stay right with me, and that we had one more airplane ride before we would see Daddy. We made it easily through customs, baggage, dropping our bags back off, checking in for next flight, and security. We then headed for smoothies. We shared a muffin and a bag doritos. She was very excited to get a little umbrella on top of her smoothie. We wait for our next flight. She is very excited and full of energy! We board our next flight, and we are off to MA. She is chattering the whole flight about Daddy, family, and America. When we land she once again bursts out in her song about America. Everyone on the plane is smiling and laughing. They are cheering her on! We get off the plane and head toward baggage. We meet up with the Steigers, and Tom and the kids. She was shy in the beginning but quickly is running with the kids and beyond excited. We hung out at the airport for a little while and headed to Dunkin Donuts for hot chocolate and a time to visit!

We finally are on the road to home. Tamenech was sad in her seat at first as she had pinched her finger in the door at Dunkin Donuts. She quickly got smiles on her face and starts chatting with the kids. She is carrying on like crazy. She is saying something and Michael says what does that mean? I say I don't know and Tamenech says it means "Zip your lips!" Everyone busts out laughing! They were so loud the whole way home! We pull up at home. She steps out of the van and we show her the snow. She touches it and the look on her face is priceless. She was shocked at how cold the snow felt. We came in the house and she started playing and running around. She had spaghetti and green beans, and garlic bread for dinner. The green beans took some encouragement. After playing some more we headed to bed and she slept from 8 pm to 6 am. She is up playing with the boys this morning.

Everything is going great except for the dog. She is really scared of the dog. This is going to take some time! There is going to be a little jealousy between Daniel and Tamenech also!

All is good. Love to all and thanks for praying us home. The peace that I felt traveling alone was amazing!

Thank you God for the many blessings. Thank you for Sweet T and the families that we met along the way! Adoption is great and the journey is long but very worth it! This morning there is one less orphan in the world!!! Thank you God!!!

Day 4: January in Ethiopia

2011-01-21T09:31:00.000-08:00

Hello again,

Here we are, our last day in Ethiopia! It is bittersweet. We are ready to come home and see our family and friends but are leaving great friends behind!

We showed up at Embassy at 8 am, waited, raised my right hand swore to tell the truth, signed some papers, was told to wait some more, and finally was handed a brown sealed envelope to deliver to immigration in DC and a passport and visa to get Sweet T (or maybe the new nickname will be wild child) into the country. As soon as we land in the US she will be a US citizen.

After Embassy I returned to the guest house. Friends were waiting to hear the news, and cheer for me. They had held a big prayer circle for me at 8am. I walked in feeling bittersweet. I was very excited for us, but very sad for the other two Embassy families that I traveled with that are not returning with me. Those families will be staying at least some of next week. Please keep praying for them.

They waited for me to get back from Embassy so that we could all travel out to the Gorge (the Grand Canyon of Ethiopia). It was a 2 hour drive outside of the city. We truly saw the country side, huts, mud houses, and incredibly beautiful scenery. On the way our driver took us by an Ethiopian family home, a hut, and let us meet them and go in the hut! What an experience. There was a small bed that the parents sleep in (it did not look very comfortable), a place on the floor for the kids to sleep, a fire, an injera basket, clothes lines, a bucket for hand washing clothes, and that was about it! Oh, and they share the hut with their animals. We took this family clothes, shoes, snacks, etc. It was a neat experience.

We then drove a little further and stopped by where people were selling hand made baskets and soft marble cross necklaces. It was overwhelming; so many people trying to get you to buy their baskets. We then drove further stopping every little bit throwing out hand fulls of pens to students begging for pens to do their school work. We finally reached the gorge. It was a beautiful breath taking site. Of course the moment we started to walk and take a look, Tamenech yells shint.... if you guessed that there were no restrooms you are correct. We went about a hundred rocks over and to a tree, watching out for cactus so she could squat (another Ethiopia experience). We stayed there for a while enjoying the beauty and peace (other than more students trying to sell cross necklaces and beg for pens).

We then went to a beautiful restaurant overlooking the Gorge. It was the most amazing setting and view. Yes, Tamenech once again had injera, this time with vegetables.

We then started our journey back to the guest house. We had kids singing in Amharic, carrying on long conversations (about who only knows), some taunting, and some potty talk as we could hear the laughing random words and then shint and caucau! We were about an hour into the drive when you guessed it Tamenech yelled shint. So David stepped on the gas and took us to one of Ethiopia's finest rest stops in the middle of no where and if you don't believe it Shannon Ewing has photos to prove it. Yes once again we dodged some cacti and cow dung, and squatted.... Another Ethiopia experience! We are ready for restrooms!

We are now back at the guest house packing up the last of our things, going to have a quick dinner and head to the airport! See you all in the US and thank you for following our journey. Please continue to pray for safe travels and adjustments for our family!

Days 3 and 4: January in Ethiopia

2011-01-20T11:32:00.000-08:00

\Day 3

We started out the morning by heading to the Timket to check out the Ethiopian Celebration for Epiphany. I don't know how far we walked but it seemed like a long way especially carrying a very heavy little girl through crowds of 10,000 people. Tamenech was feeling pretty scared. I have to say I was a little uncomfortable myself. We walked many blocks while watching people dance in the streets, teach from pulpits, auction paintings off, looking at people in beautiful costumes of Sunday best, decorations lining the streets, and so many more sights. As we walked there were people on the streets begging. They were people that were sicker, more handicapped, disfigured, and near death than we could ever imagine. I felt so bad a few times that I just wanted to take out money and send people to the doctor for help. I could paint images that would make you completely sick. I can't imagine the pain some of these people were in!

Tamenech was terrified walking past these people. I am thankful that I had this experience, but had I known what we would see I would not have taken Sweet T. We did keep walking until we got close enough to be sprayed with Holy Water, see the umbrellas shading the Ark Of The Covenant, hear people being baptized, and hear some of the teachings in Amharic! It was an amazing moment, but also very overwhelming! I definitely was wanting Tom next to me and to help carry Sweet T. I do have to say that our guide Job was wonderful and really watched out for me and Sweet T. He carried Sweet T on his shoulders for a while and held her other hand the rest of the time! We all made it back to the guest house. We were told that by later that afternoon there would be 15-20 thousand people in the streets there. Some had walked 15miles to be there.

After our time of celebrations we went to lunch at Island Breeze, a great restaurant whose owners are from Seattle. This was my second time there. Sweet T was happy to once again have injera and beef tips. She is not going to be happy with our food. We ordered extra food to take back for dinner. Yes, Tamenech had injera and beef tips for the 3rd time. Tom, you'd better see if you can get some injera on the way to the airport. The kids in our group were even using injera to eat spaghetti and piles of meat marinara sauce. It is really cute when we sit down to eat. All the kids say “See food, say thank you God, Amen!”. I am with wonderful families and Tamenech is really enjoying the time with 3 friends from the transition home.

After lunch we tried to make our way to the mountain, but another celebration was going on there and the roads were closed. The main roads have been closed 3 days for celebrations. We watched a little more of the celebration from the car and then journeyed back to the guest house. We cleaned up and rested. At 4 we were told that Duni from AWAA would like to talk to us. We were also told that there is a film crew here working on a documentary for international adoption. We were asked if they could interview us, and if Duni could talk to us on camera about Embassy. Two families said alright. So, we are thinking that Duni is just going to tell us what to expect when going to Embassy. Well, it turns out that she wanted to share bad news with us. I was told that there was a mess up with some paper work and missing stuff. They were hoping that it could be resolved quickly, but were unsure. I could end up staying until next week or have to place Sweet T back in the transition home and come to the US without her. I certainly did not want to do that. We stayed in the rest of the evening praying, praying, and praying. We went to bed praying, and did not sleep very well (3 families were in tough situations, with mine being the easiest to fix)

Day 4

We got up with every intention of going to the US Embassy, uninvited hoping to get something resolved. Early in the morning our guide, T, came and told me that I had an Embassy appointment at 1:00 pm, and everything looked good. He also told me that a car would be here soon to take me to the transition home to be able to speak with someone who knew Daniel's birth mom. I was able to go and spend about 45 minutes with him. I now have the cutest baby picture of Daniel with his birth mom. I was able to video the whole meeting and have some great information to share with him when he is older. It was exciting to learn so much, but also very sad to hear the story. As a birth mom I can't imagine being in a situation so bad that you can not keep your children. I am heart broken for her and forever thankful to her for our special Daniel. After learning about her, I can say Daniel is a lot like his mom.

We then went to lunch and off to the Embassy. Tamenech once again had injera this time with half beef tips and half shiro (chic peas). At the Embassy, there were crowds of people and we had to wait a long time! I finally got called up and they are missing a paper that is needed to get T's visa. It is a silly mistake by both the Embassy and AWAA. The Embassy did everything else that they needed to do to get her visa ready.... and I need to return with our guide, T (and the paper he has) to the Embassy at 8am tomorrow morning. Hopefully they will have everything ready and I will be able to hand over the paper, sign on the dotted line and pick up her visa so we can be on our flight tomorrow night to head to T's favorite word AMERICA (as she says airplane America). Thank you for the prayers and please keep them coming. It is going to be a long way home and I can't see Tamenech liking being confined in her seat on the plane. Watch out car seat when we get home, it is not going to be pretty.

After the Embassy we chased down my missing paper and did a paper drive by! We then headed for the mountain. It was about 30 minutes away and was beautiful. We went to a historical museum, some beautiful churches, and saw the outside of the first church built in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. It was a great time. At that perfect moment Tamenech yells SHINT (that means PEE).... we were escorted to a little outhouse looking building with a hole in the ground and two places to put your feet (and no toilet paper); the true Ethiopian Experience! We made it in time. We squatted with our feet in the feet holes, I held her and we didn't make a mess. On a different potty note she experienced her first automatic flushing toilet; it scared her to death! I never saw a little girl jump off the toilet to fast.

After the mountain we headed back to the guest house. We had left overs that Sweet T wanted nothing to do with. My stomach is really bothering me, so I started Cipro tonight. I asked the gals at the front desk if I could pay them to braid Sweet T's hair. She is coming home with some really cute braids. Tameench is sleeping and I am going to run downstairs and try to send this.

I will be at the Embassy at 8am tomorrow, midnight EST. Please be praying. If I get Tamenech's visa, I will be the only Embassy Family that gets to come home. Please pray for the other two families!

Good night all

Lori

Day 2: January in Ethiopia

2011-01-19T04:28:00.000-08:00

Wow, what an experience! We just got back from walking to take part in the Ethiopia celebrations! I am not sure how far we walked but I can tell you that Tamenech was scared of the dogs, the crowd, and the handicap begging on the streets! She was very scared and wanted to be carried. I can also tell you that she is very heavy and it is very warm outside today!

The ceremony and experience was very neat! We were among about 10,000 people! That is one large crowd to try to walk through! I have taken quite a bit of video of some of what we experienced today. I am not sure how it will turn out as we were smashed in a crowd of people and I was holding the video camera above my head! We were sprayed with holy water, we were close to where the baptisms were taking place, the ark of covenants, and the teachings taking place. By this afternoon there will be over 15,000 people walking to the churches. Some people walk here from 15 miles away to be a part of this.

I will share more later as we need to head off to lunch at Island Breeze! We are then headed to the mountain and off to do a little shopping (at a new area by the mountains)!

Tamenech is really feeling tired and a overwhelmed by all the new! It is an interesting day! Thank goodness for Job and his help in carrying her and his Amharic help!

Love to all,
Lori

Day 1: January in Ethiopia

2011-01-18T10:56:00.000-08:00

My trip so far.

Sunday morning started off stressful as the folks at United were extremely slow, unfriendly, and not very helpful! Once again we had an extra bag of donations and one bag too heavy by a pound and one bag under. They made us pay the extra fee and rearrange bags. They were not friendly at all about me having an extra bag. In the end the kids in Ethiopia get the needed supplies and that is what is important.

My first flight was at 6:00, out of Hartford. They were so slow with check in and security, I walked right on the plane with 10 minutes to take off. I arrived in DC without any problems. It is a large airport with many terminals and shuttles to get you where you need to be. Once in DC and checked into Ethiopian Air, I met two other AWAA families that were also traveling for Embassy! they were wonderful and have really watched out for me since I am traveling alone!

The flight was good. It is a new bigger airplane than what we flew on in November. There are 3 seats on each side and 3 in the center row! I had a window seat and it was really nice to be able to look out and see some of the places that we were flying over. This new plane now has these touch screen monitors in front of you. You can chose your movie, tv show, etc. And control when you start it, pause it, etc. It also has games that you can play and maps showing where you are going. We touched down at about 8:40 am (Ethiopia time). The other 2 families were seated way in front of me and were able to get off the plane way before me, but as I came around the corner there they were waiting for me to venture on through visas, customs, and baggage.

This was at least twice as long of a line for visas that I have ever experienced. We made it through. All bags made it and we were ready to head out of the airport. We were supposed to scan our bags one more time, but it was a super long line, so the guys said, just look down and keep going.... Act like we don't know what we are doing. We all made it through and out to our AWAA driver.

Next stop was Yebsabi Guest House! We arrived to a full crew as, there was film and camera crew interviewing AW families for a documentary on international adoption! They were also at the Transition Home most of the day. We had about an hour and a half to shower, get things ready for the kids, relax etc. Before we left for lunch. Tamenech and I have a very small room with 2 beds, a bathroom, a small stand, and mini fridge on the second floor!

We were then off to lunch at a restaurant with an art gallery. I was begging for somewhere fast but they just told me to calm down and relax.... I just wanted to get to Sweet T! I had already been told that she was sobbing all morning because the court families were there with their kids and kids were taken for Embassy needs. She knew I was coming and that she was leaving with me today. When she did not see me first thing in the morning she thought I was not coming for her. After two hours of having lunch, fellow-shipping and learning and learning of all of T's (our guide) practical jokes it was time to head over to the Transition Home and once again see Sweet T!

We started our journey to the transition home. Once there we lined up with our video cameras and waited for the kids to run out! Tamenech came running right into my arms. She was excited. She hugged me and then kept asking where is Daddy! I told her that we would soon be meeting up with Daddy and her brothers and sisters! She is a very happy little girl, she is excited yet a little nervous with the new. She has this cute little attitude (cute for now maybe not later) when she is told No! They have been prepping for the cold, snow, airplane, going to America, the new family etc! When asked what she will need to wear when she comes to America she said big clothes to keep me warm. When asked what she wants when she comes to America she said a new name! Where did that come from, we were planning on keeping her name! I guess we will have some talking to do once she can understand us some more. At this point she does not know what she wants her name to be.

She picked up right where she left off from our last trip. She wants to get into everything! I took her new clothes, shoes, and a back pack. She was very excited about putting it all on, especially the sunglasses. She was very concerned about leaving the old stuff behind. We hung out there for several hours and then headed to a market to pick up a few supplies. She was taking it all in! We arrived at the guest house. She was very excited to run up the stairs to our room. I had a hard time keeping her out of things (other donations etc)! She went straight for the beds and started jumping on them and from one to another.... She just went from one thing to another - total over stimulation!

She is understanding some of what I am saying but not everything. Thank goodness for the guides and their translations! We hung out in the room and then headed down for dinner. We had beef tips with veggies, served with rice, injera, and bread. Tamenech loved it and went right at it using the injera. She ate more than me. The meat was good, but a little too spicy for me. We then returned to our room to play, shower, and get ready for bed. She seemed to like her shower and was very excited with her tooth brush and tooth paste. At 8:00 it was off to bed. She woke up at 10:30 a little scared and concerned at where she was. I had her climb into bed with me. She in now laying sideways across the bed kicking me. The dogs are really loud from time to time. Here it is 2:00 in the morning and I am wide awake writing to all of you! I am hoping to catch a few more hours of sleep before T wakes us.

In the morning we will have our paper party for Embassy, pray that they confirm us, go to lunch, back to the transition home to deliver care packages, take photos for other families, deliver our donations, etc. While there I will be meeting with a fried of Daniel's birth mom. This person was her boss for four years and Daniel lived at their house as a baby. He is supposed to be bringing some pictures for me to see and take pictures of. I am meeting with him at 2:30!

Look who is coming home!!!

2011-01-05T12:18:00.000-08:00

The day that we have been waiting for!
Today our paperwork was submitted to the US Embassy! We are scheduled for Embassy on Jan. 19th, to get Tamenech passport so she can come home!!!
Our schedule:
Jan. 16th Lori will leave fly out of DC at 11:30 am!
Jan. 17th Arrive in Ethiopia, pick up Tamenech forever!
Jan. 19th go to the Embassy to sign for her visa. (Please pray all goes well)
Jan. 21st get her passport/visa and begin our journey home!
Jan. 22nd arrive at BDL (Hartford) at 1:54 pm. for welcome home celebration!
We can't thank you enough for the prayers, love, support, encouragement, etc.
If you would like to be at BDL on the 22nd to celebrate our homecoming, please let Tom know. He will then be able to keep you updated in any changes or delay with our flights!

Since I am traveling alone I am limited on the amount of stuff that I can take with me. I have a 50 pound bag of donations!!! If you would still like to help make a difference with the orphanages in Ethiopia, I will be taking monetary donations with me! Please let me know if you would like to donate!

I will be updating our blog as much as possible from Ethiopia!

Did I mention I leave in 11 DAYS!!!
Thank you Gowin Family for the newest photos!

And the winner is...

2010-12-15T17:00:00.002-08:00

My Montage 11/27/10 at OneTrueMedia.com

2010-12-08T09:58:00.001-08:00

Introducing our daughter Tamenech Nicole Laughner!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Coffee Tickets (Encore Performance!)

2010-11-26T15:21:00.000-08:00

Due to the great response we received last year, we picked up another coffee pot and three more bags of fresh roasted Ethiopian coffee beans when we were visiting earlier this month. We got to watch the beans being sorted (by hand) and bagged. The aroma was wonderful. I'm not a coffee drinker, but having had so much coffee in Ethiopia, I'm starting to get hooked!

You can have one entry for five dollars, three entries for ten dollars, or ten entries for twenty dollars. All proceeds will help us fund our adoption. Email me (laughner@charter.net) or Lori (lorilaughner@charter.net) to let me know how many entries you want.

BONUS: If you share our coffee giveaway on your Facebook page or on your blog, you'll receive five extra entries with your order!

Tom

Our Visit to Kind Hearts Care Center (more sponsors needed!)

2010-11-23T19:22:00.000-08:00

Imagine having 90 laughing, giggling, yelling children running towards you as fast as they can, with beaming faces and arms widespread. Prepare to be overwhelmed by them, as they reach for you to give you hugs, wrapping those arms tight around you in hugs so genuine and heartfelt, that you can't help getting caught up in their joy. A few weeks ago, our new friends the Davidsons from Missouri joined us on a visit to Kind Hearts Care Center, a small drop in center for children, located in beautiful countryside south of Addis Ababa. For me, it renewed my commitment for these kids, most of whom I'd met last year on a mission trip organized by Tom Davis and Children's Hopechest. For the others, they were able to experience the beauty, joy, and exhileration of spending a few hours with a group of children who will soak up as much love they can get.

Planning for our visit had started several months prior, when we made a call to our friends and family to send us donations to take with us. We were excited as we received dental products, first aid supplies, food, toys, and cash. Lori put together 75 bags to give to each of the kids, each of which contained treats and toys. (We purposely avoided putting toothpaste in the bags, as last year the kids at one of the orphanages didn't know about toothpaste, and so started eating it like candy.) As we got closer to our travel date, more and more stuff was given to us, which meant going through each of the bags many times to add the latest treat. The 75 bags were each loaded in a large tote and hauled to the airport (it weighed in JUST under 50 pounds!).

We also received quite a bit of cash to take to Kind Hearts. The Davidson's also had some cash for Kind Hearts. My new experience for this trip was going into a local bank to exchange U.S. dollars into birr. The exchange rate is 16:1, so the $300 I had translated into almost 5000 birr. Needless to say, I received a bit of scrutiny from the bank officials, and a lot of stares from the other customers lined up in the bank. I had to give the teller my name and address, and hand over my driver's license while he did the transaction. Fortunately, the teller spoke a little English, so I wasn't completely lost. It was still a bit intimidating!

The birr bought quite a bit. We stopped by a corner store and purchased fruit and powdered milk. Fikre, our Children's Hopechest rep. suggested we send the driver to purchase two lamb. As I mentioned in my other post, we were quite surprised when he showed up with the lamb tied to the roof of the van, quite alive. The Kind Hearts staff wanted to honor us by slaughtering the lamb in front of us. Despite some mild curiosity by some of us on how this was done, we politely suggested that since they wouldn't be eating the lamb until the next day, they should wait to do this bit of preparation! The money was also used to purchase injera, wood for cooking, spices, and soda. I'm disappointed we missed this great feast. I'm sure it was a wonderful treat for the kids. Feeding that many kids for $300 was pretty impressive. It truly doesn't take much money to do a lot of good.

Yes, they're alive.

When Karen Wistrom and I agreed to coordinate the Kind Hearts Care Center sponsorships and projects last year, we both knew that the directors had big plans. In addition to being able to provide better care for the 60-odd kids they already had enrolled, they wanted to expand their care to 100 kids, and had grand plans to become self-sustaining so that all the income they needed to care for the children could come from their own income. They had already made a significant investment so that they would have electricity. With the electricity, they would be able to rent out a barn to local workers doing carpentry and metal work. Next they plan on installing a new water system (thanks to the fundraising efforts of a school in Missouri), a chicken coop, and other capital projects.

Also on their list is a plan to build a bridge for the kids to get to the center. The property borders the worst smelling river you can imagine. Last year I wrote about this river, full of pollutants from a distillery and tannery, both upstream. The smell is so overwhelming that you're only able to stand by the river for a few seconds before having to turn away. During the dry season, the kids are able to cross the river on rocks. However, when the river is high, the kids have to wade through the water, sometimes up to their waist. It'll truly be a blessing when that bridge is built.

Water shouldn't be this color, and it had a really strong odor.

Our big surprise was that Kind Hearts has already increased the number of kids that use their facility. The demand was so great, the needs so immense, that there are now 98 kids at Kind Hearts. Fikre and the other staff are working on profiles for additional sponsors. (Interested? It costs $34 a month, and is so incredibly appreciated by the kids.) Fortunately, we had enough stuff to give each of the kids several granola bars, sugar free gum, and toys (cars, balloons, inflatable balls, play-doh, and more). They also each received assorted snacks.

Sara, our 17-year-old, made the observation after we left, that not one of the kids complained or made a fuss about the treat they were given. Michael, who is 10, had noticed a couple of kids trade treats, but it was obvious they were appreciative for what they had.

I could go on for much longer about what we experienced at Kind Hearts. It was an amazing visit, and we're looking forward to returning next year. Some of our friends have told us they'd like to go on a mission trip with us, and possibly take their own kids. We can't wait!

Tom
Co-coordinator, Kind Hearts Care Center

My trip to Ethiopia by Michael Laughner age 10

2010-11-16T19:05:00.000-08:00

Kids Care Orphanage (where Daniel spent time)

Huts that we saw.

Our Traditional Ethiopian Dinner.

Our sponsor child at Kind Hearts.

Aunt Shirley and Uncle Tim's sponsor child.

Monday-
I woke up and ate my disgusting breakfast. We had fake eggs, burnt toast, and ok yogurt. We went on the bumpy roads dodging cars. There are no rules for the road in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We went to meet my sister "T" for the first time. She loves us, hugs, dolls, and balloons. Also at the transition home I played soccer with all the boys. On the way home I saw straw huts, people sitting on the side of the road begging, and lots of markets.
Tuesday-
When we woke up we went shopping in the morning. I bought a cool white Ethiopia hat. Everyone was hungry and most were homeless. It was very sad that kids had to give shoeshines to afford food and drinks. As you walk by the shops all of the owners beg you to come into their shops. The shops are very small and the main items were Bob Marley t shirts and wood carvings. It was kind of scary when people would grab you and ask for food or money. After that we had lunch at Makush a restaurant and art gallery. I had tortellini. A lot of the restaurants are Italian. After lunch we went back to the transition house to see "T". She was so happy to see us. After playing with her, we went to dinner. That night we had to go to the traditional Ethiopian dinner. I took tons of pictures of the food and dancers. Up on stage there were dancers moving like no one has ever seen before. We had some kind of mushed up sauce, and beef wrapped in a bread called injera. Personally, I did not really like it.
Wednesday-
In the morning we went to Kind Hearts a drop in center. Kids parents drop them off in the morning and pick them up late at night. It was amazing when 89 kids came running out of a small building at the same time. They all wanted attention and just to be held. We have a sponsored kid named Yilbetal. He is 12 years old and likes to play soccer (football). After an amazing hour we went to an American Pizza Place called Island Breeze. It is one of the best pizza places that I have ever been to. After that we went back to the transition house to spend time with "T". When we left she started to cry. You get attached and then you have to leave : (
Thursday-
When we woke up we went to a coffee tour. We saw how the Ethiopians make coffee. There was mountains of coffee beans. After that we stepped into a big court house. After an upsetting "Not Yet" because our final papers had not come in. Next we went back to the transition house. We spent a good 2hours there. We walked down the road to where "T" sleeps and put family pictures on the wall next to her bed. Again going home I saw their football/soccer fields. It is cement, and their shoes have holes or they play barefoot. Next we had dinner, and I tried to sleep but there was really loud music down the road. Then after a while it was good night!
Friday-
In the morning we got a quick breakfast and headed for KVI.(an orphanage). It was disgusting. It had 6 babies in a crib with no mattresses.They had no food. After I saw the sick babies and I ran outside to the big kids, and got in trouble for going in the garden (which was only the grass). Next we went to Kids Care orphanage. We did not stay long because the kids were in school. We went to lunch at an Italian Restaurant called Blue Tops. After that we went to the transition house. It was hard saying bye, but my mom will pick her up in December. All the nannies pulled her off of us.

Brthday wishes, well wishes, and puzzle pieces! Can you help?

2010-11-12T05:36:00.000-08:00

A scrap book for our Sweet "T"....
We have a 300 piece puzzle and we are selling puzzle pieces. For $5.00 you can purchase a puzzle piece. What does this mean? It means that when you donate $5.00 to help bring T home, we will put our name on the back of a puzzle piece and you get to send a special message or well wish to go in this special book for T. She will have this special gift that shows all of the family and friends that helped bring her home!

We have sold 34 pieces and have some wonderful well wishes in her book!

We have wishes from family and friends from 3 different states at this point. Will your family or state be represented?

Today is T's birthday, her last birthday as an orphan.
Would you like to purchase a puzzle piece and leave her a birthday message?

We would like to thank all of the family and friends who have sent special messages!

Please keep the messages coming!

Our 300 piece puzzle....

Is your name on the back of a piece?
Once the puzzle is done we will glue it and hang it. We will then be able to show T all the names on the back of the puzzle!

Donations!!! Thanks for your help!

2010-11-09T04:51:00.000-08:00

This is what our pile of luggage looked like, before we walked out the door! We divided everything up between the Transition Home where our daughter is, 2 orphanages Kids Care and KVI, and a drop in care center called Kind Hearts!
We took a large duffel bag of items to the Transition Home and donated $100 towards supplies. We took one large duffel bag to Kid's Care (the orphanage that Daniel spent time at) and donated $100 towards supplies. We gave a large duffel bag of general supplies, plus one large duffel bag of emergency needed items to KVI. This bag included 8 mattress pad covers, 10 crib sheets, blankets, 70+ cloth diapers, 40 plastic diaper covers, and things like this. We were also able to donate $280 for supplies to be purchased. We took a large duffel bag of supplies including school supplies to Kind Hearts and a large tote of care package items to share with all of the kids, and we stopped and purchased green-oranges, bananas, powder-milk, onions, fire wood, and two lambs.
We want to thank everyone that made these donations possible! They are truly needed! If you would like to donate anything else before our second trip please let me know!

Pictures from Ethiopia

2010-11-07T18:31:00.000-08:00

Here is the link for most of the photos we took in Ethiopia last week. Since we haven't yet passed court, we can't post photos of T.

http://tinyurl.com/ethiopia2010

Day 5 (Friday)

2010-11-06T08:08:00.001-07:00

Day 5 (Friday)

Is it possible that the week is over? Do we really need to say good-bye to T today? Do I really need to sit on a plane for 17 hours?

The day started with two of the orphanages in Addis Ababa from which our agency receives children for adoption. We had received reports last week that this orphanage was in bad shape, with no mattresses for the kids, and a shortage of diapers. The group before us bought mattresses, and we were asked to bring diapers (cloth), and something to protect the mattresses. We also dropped off toothbrushes, toothpaste, medical supplies, clothes, and food that had been given to us. We had already committed money from friends and family yo help where they felt a need.

Of all the orphanages I visited last year, this one was the filthiest, dreariest, depressing place I had been. The compound looks pleasant enough at first. It is a gated house, with a driveway, a small grass yard with a swing set, and a modest house and secondary building. The small ones (two and younger) were in the main house. There were at least twenty-five of these young children cramped in two rooms. The babies were in one room, three to a crib. The older group was in another room, crammed into a filthy, dark room. I sat down on the floor to play legos with one boy and couldn't believe how much dirt there was.

The older kids were in the other building. At least thirty of them came running out of a small room, They came pouring out, and poring out, and pouring out. There must have been 30 kids squeezed into this small room. It reminded me of the pictures you see of a dozen people packed into a telephone booth.

A little boy and I started playing catch on the lawn. Several minutes passed when one of the workers told me that I was playing in the garden and I could not stay there. I pointed at the swing set and asked if I could play there. She told me no, that I could only play on the driveway. Go figure...

I've mentioned in previous posts how much these kids yearn for love and attention. The kids at KVI were starving for attention. One boy wanted me to hold him for the entire 90 minutes we were there. They were constantly approaching me with arms open wide, wanting hugs. Sara became overwhelmed by the filth and clamoring for attention and retreated to the van. She has been wonderful with the kids up to this visit. It all became too much for her. Michael spent the time kicking the soccer ball and throwing a football with the kids.

Our next visit was to Kids Care, the orphanage from which Daniel came. I didn't need to worry about getting kicked off the grass, since there was nothing but a couple of buildings and a paved driveway. Lori asked around to see if any of the nannies remembered Daniel (Fitsum while he was there). Several did, and loved looking at his current pictures. One of the nannies kept kissing his picture as she paged through the photo album that Lori had brought with her.

I wish we had been allowed to have or video equipment out for our time with the kids. Michael played two games with the kids. One was a version of "Duck, duck, goose" except the kids sing a song "who stole the handkerchief?" "not me, not me" while the person who is it runs around the circle with a cloth in his/her hands and drops it behind the person who will do the chasing. If the pursuer is able to hit the person being chased, that person has to sit in the middle of the circle. Since MichEl doesn't know Amharic, the kids were kind enough to sing his part for him.

The other game the kids played was a version of "Red Rover, Red Rover" except it involves one kid tugging on the kid in the other line in a form of human tug-of-war.

As was the case with KVI, the babies were lined up two to three to a crib. Sara spent her time loving on a set of infant twins.

We spent the afternoon loving on T. Knowing it was the last afternoon we would spend with her made the time bittersweet. One thing that became very apparent is the challenge the language barrier is going to create while she is learning English. At one point, she wanted two bags that contained her prize possessions. We didn't understand what she wanted which created an outburst of tears. Fortunately, one of her friends understood what she wanted and brought her the bags. Can we bring her friend with us too?

We said our good-byes and headed to the guest house and then off to the airport. We made some new friends on this trip, friends that we hope to keep in touch with. We learned more about the native country of Daniel and T, knowledge that will help them keep connected with their roots. We spent time loving on kids in search of human contact, hugs and play that will hopefully help them to understand that despite the tough lives they have, there are people out there that can love them. And we created lasting memories and experiences for all of us, including Sara and Michael, who have now broadened their understanding of our big world and what life is like outside the comfortable bubbles in which they live.

Day 4 (Thursday)

2010-11-06T08:07:00.001-07:00

Day 4 (Thursday)

Emotionally, Thursday was the biggest roller coaster of the trip. I got to spend a lot of time by myself with our daughter. We went to court to meet with the judge. And, we met with the grandmother for a lengthy and emotional discussion.

First, an update. We did not get the final approval from the Ethiopian court. The license for the orphanage from which T came is up for renewal. Because that process is not finished, the government agency charged with making a recommendation to the judge had not been submitted to the court. The judge was very pleasant, albeit soft-spoken, and directed a question to Sara and Michael. She asked about if they were okay with the adoption. Both said they were. As soon as the court receives the recommendation letter, the adoption will be final. Lori will travel either in late December or early January to bring T home.

Earlier in the week, we had received a DVD of an interview with our daughter's grandmother. She was being asked questions about our daughter and her family. It's an important part of our daughter's past and it will be something we can show her later. (by the way, we are not supposed to put our daughter's name on the Internet until we pass court, so I am going to refer to her as "T"). One of the more striking comments made by T's grandmother was that she wants T to grow up to be a good person, to be well educated, and to remember her family. Very touching.

T's grandmother says she is around 40 (birthday's aren't given the same level of importance that we give them). By looking at her, you would guess she was much older. It's obvious that she's had a tough life. Her face is drawn, with deep lines on her forehead and jowls and deep set eyes. She was dressed in traditional garb with a shawl covering her head. We had been told that the grandmother would have to make an appearance at court and that we would have a chance to talk to her later.

We immediately recognized the grandmother as we entered the court's waiting room. She appeared anxious and tired (she had been driven at least eight hours to make her court appearance). Lori thinks she may have been shown a picture of us at some point, because she kept looking at us. Part of us wanted to go immediately to talk to her but we didn't know if it was appropriate and regardless, we didn't have interpreters.

After court, we headed to our hotel where we would meet with the grandmother. Lori and I decided to focus our interview questions on things we thought T might want to know about her family when she was older. When we were called to come talk to her, we each approached her to give her a hug. She was very frail and small, but held us tight and said what sounded like a prayer for each of us. She then kissed us on both cheeks and kissed our hand. Sara and Michael also hugged her, received a blessing, the kiss on the cheeks, and the kiss on the hand. Each, in turn, kissed her hand.

We then sat and talked. Lori showed her pictures of our family, our house, and where T would sleep. She gave her a photo book and a coloring page from T. We then asked questions about T's parents and family history. Ethiopia's national language is Amharic, but in reality there are at least a dozen languages. T's grandmother did not speak Amharic, so the interview was conducted with two translators; one to convert her language to Amharic, and another to translate the Amharic to English. Sara recorded the interview so we can show it to T when she is older. One of the more touching moments came when we asked when we asked about T's best qualities. She responded that T is smart and reminded her of her mother.

We could have sat all day asking questions, but the driver was anxious to get back on the road, so we had to end the interview. We told her that we would raise T to be a good person, well educated, and that we should make sure she remembered her family. She blessed us, and we finished with a group picture and another round of hugs and kisses.

We visited T in the afternoon, and I got a chance to spend some one-on-one time with T. I am amazed at her intelligence, her focus, and how much English she already knows. We spent an hour drawing pictures, coloring shapes, and tracing letters and numbers. My favorite moment was when she wrote an "A", drew a circle with a short line coming out of the top and said, "A is for apple." A heart melting moment.

Tomorrow we have to say good bye to T. It will be hard to leave her behind, but we know she is in good hands. She is being well cared for, and knows we will be returning for her.

Until tomorrow.

2010-11-04T12:19:00.000-07:00

Day 3 (Wednesday)

Last December, a group of us made up mostly of families who have adopted or were preparing to adopt from Ethiopia, spent a week here, visiting orphanages throughout the country. It was an eye opening experience. It was the first time most of us had been outside of Addis Ababa and the differences between the capital city and the small towns and villages away from here were staggering.

A year later, those differences are even more staggering. Yesterday, we traveled with our new friends the Davidsons to Kind Hearts, a drop in center about an hour south of Addis. When we were there last year, there were about sixty children. With the help of a load of donations, Lori put together 75 bags of goodies. The bags contained toothbrushes, granola bars, balloons, toys, and lots more. Well, on the way down to Kind Hearts, we learn that there are 98 now kids at Kind Hearts! New strategy: dump out all of the bags and divvy out the goods individually. It was all good, though, as we figured all of that stuff at once would have been overwhelming for the kids. Looks like a lot of kids need sponsorships!

The kids at Kind Hearts are in considerable need. They are very thin. Many have open sores. It seems that they are so used to having flies on them that they don't bother shooing them away. And they were starving for attention. When we pulled up in the vans, you could see the kids hanging out the doors. We have pictures of Michael and Sara being mobbed by them in the yard. Michael said that he didn't know he could hold so many people's hands at the same time.

In addition to the donations given directly to the kids, we gave Kind Hearts toothbrushes, tooth paste, vitamins, medical supplies, clothes and shoes, and school supplies. We also had $300 that had been given to us and the Davidsons. On the way to Kind Hearts, we used the money to buy bananas, oranges (they were actually green, but Sara says the one she bought was very juicy), and powdered milk.

Fikre, our assistant from Children's Hopechest, also suggested we send the driver off to buy two lambs. I never would have expected that the lambs would arrive tied to the top of the van, 100% alive and kicking. The Kind Hearts director offered to butcher the lambs while we were there (we didn't know it at the time, but I guess it's a great honor to have livestock butchered for guests). We suggested that since the lamb would be served the next day, that it was okay to wait to do that part of the preparation closer to meal time. While we were curious about the ritual, some of our group weren't confident in their "constitution" of having an animal killed in front of them.

We could have stayed all day. We loved playing with the kids. However, we also knew that our daughter awaited. So, after many good-byes (Lori hugged every one of the kids), had an amazing lunch of pizza at a restaurant owned by a man from Seattle, and spent more time loving on our new daughter. We also met with the psychologist and doctor, who told us she is in great health. The psychologist told us she has some attention span problems (something we found to be absolutely false...more on that in Thursday's post).

Our daughter's bond with us continues to strengthen. The look on her face is priceless when she sees us pulling up in the van. The look on her face when we leave her in the evening is enough to break your heart. We can't wait to bring her home. She is a sweetheart, she is incredibly bright, and she is very loving.

Until tomorrow!

Days One and Two

2010-11-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

Day One

This is my third trip to Ethiopia in as many years. Arriving at the airport last night, and driving around town, I’ve realized that this country is starting to have that familiar feeling, like the country is a part of me as much as I’m a part of the country. I will say, though, that Addis Ababa is a huge city, and while I recognize a lot of it, I still find it hard to get my bearings. Today, we drove by the plaza where last year we watched a bunch of kids playing soccer last year. It reminded me of the great trip we had last year, how much has been accomplished since last December, but how much there still is to do.

We got to meet our new daughter today! She is the sweetest little girl that you can imagine. She recognized us right away, and took to us pretty quickly. Sara is her pal, spending more time with her than any of the rest of us. I sense that she’s going to pick up on her English pretty quickly; she knows her letters and a few words. By the end of the day, she was asking for Lori (“mommy?”). We spent most of today with her, but also spent time loving on the rest of the kids. They love being held and carried, love being hugged, and love to laugh.

We received a DVD with a recording of her grandmother being interviewed. It’ll be nice to have this for her when she is older, but there’s a sad tenor that will likely have an impact on all of us every time we watch it.

Day Two

Financially, bringing the kids with us was a really bad idea. However, it’s been an experience for me to see Ethiopia through their eyes. Yesterday at lunch, Michael started talking to a couple sitting at another table. They were asking him about his impressions of Ethiopia. They asked, “it’s a lot different than what you see on tv, isn’t it?” He agreed. Sara has been affected as well (even though she won’t admit it). She has made small, off the cuff, comments about things she’s seen. Both kids have gotten into helping out with the donations. Both are playing with the kids at the transition home. It’s fun to see Michael playing soccer with boys his age. They can’t understand a word that each other is saying, but “goal” seems to be a universal language, and the smiles and high fives need no translation.

It’s also great that they’re getting to experience a culture other than their own. They’ve seen that just because something is different that it’s not necessarily bad. They’re learning what it feels like to be a minority (something Daniel and his new sister will live with while they’re with us). Tonight we went for a walk through a shopping district with no guide or translator. It was a little intimidating, but it was good for us to be out without that safety net. (Sara was excited to find a “cute” pair of shoes for $12.)

Today, we went shopping. Even though I’ve been to this particular market each of my previous trips, it’s still overwhelming. There are lots of kids asking us to buy things from them (we saw Robel’s soccer kids!). The stores are small, dark, and crowded. However, once you get inside the stores, there are some *really* cool things. Luckily, we set a specific budget for our shopping. We’re buying things from Ethiopia each time we come here to make sure D and T always have part of their heritage around them. Still, it’s hard not to go overboard.

Yesterday, we visited a famous Ethiopian church. I will post pictures once I have better Internet access, but I can say that the pictures I took do not do justice to its beauty.

And, we did spend time with our daughter today. She is bonding with us (especially Sara). She started bawling when we had to leave tonight. While it was heartbreaking, the psychologist told us that it was a good sign that she was growing attached to us.

Sara’s “gem of the day” after taking a picture of the back end of a herd of donkeys strolling down the street. “I want to put that picture on Facebook, with the caption, “I like big butts.”

Puzzle pieces are being sold!!!

2010-10-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

We have sold quite a few puzzle pieces. It is fun to see the well wishes come in! Have you bought a puzzle piece (or a few)? Will you consider purchasing a puzzle piece and writing a short note to our daughter? We will put your name on the back of a puzzle pioece, and add the personalized note from you to her book! We will then share with her, all of the families that helped to bring her home! All money will go towards our 2nd trip to bring her home.
We leave for Ethiopia in less than 48 hours. We will go in front of the judge on November 4th. This is also the day that Daniel came to live with us forever (2 years ago). If all goes well we hope to have an Embassy appointment December 8th and be able to arrive with her into the US on December 11th!
Please pray for our family during this journey! Thank you for all of the love and support!

New (creative) fundraiser

2010-10-23T07:17:00.000-07:00

Although this wasn't our idea, it's a creative way to raise money to pay our adoption expenses to bring our little girl home from Ethiopia. This is a 300-piece puzzle, and we need your help putting it together. For a $5.00 donation, one of these pieces can be yours. We will write your name on the back of the piece. After the puzzle is complete, we will glue the puzzle together and frame it so it can be seen on both sides. In addition, we will include any message you want to send in a special keepsake journal for her so she always knows all of the people supporting her trip to the United States. Your page will include a replica of the puzzle piece you supported.

Thanks for your support.

Tom and Lori

8 Days!!!

2010-10-22T18:28:00.000-07:00

Here we are 8 days before travel. We have six fifty pound bags and three fifteen pound bags all of donations... We still need to pack a back pack for each of us and one fifty pound bag of clothes, toiletries, etc. This is going to put us one bag over our limit. I would say having too many donations is a good thing though! Please pray that when we get the airport that our scale at home will mach up with their scale and that they will be feeling generous and wave the extra baggage fee. If they decide to charge us, it will cost $200 for the extra bag. They could also charge us if any of our bags are over the fifty pounds. It is hard to weigh them on a little bathroom scale.
Thank you so much to all of you who helped donate items and money for the orphans of Ethiopia. There are going to be a lot of smiles because of your generosity! Please continue to follow our journey and please keep the prayers coming!
We will be gone from Saturday October 30th until Saturday November 6th. A great a big thanks to all that are making this trip possible! We couldn't do it without our friends and family!

The 20 Day Count Down!!!

2010-10-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

We are leaving in 20 days for Ethiopia!!! We have a court date of November 4th! This is exactly 2 years from Daniel's Gotcha Day! The day we took him into our care forever. Tom, Lori, Sara (17), and Michael (10) will be traveling to Ethiopia. We are so excited to finally meet our daughter and be able to hug her and kiss her! We will arrive back in the US on Nov. 6th with out her. As soon as the US Embassy gives approval I will travel back to Ethiopia to bring her home! We are excited to enter the next step of adoption...

We have 150 pounds of donations at this time, 75 care packages for Kind Hearts, gifts, and other goodies. We are also taking cash donations along to buy food for the orphanages, and Kind Hearts! If you would like to donate anything please let me know! We will update as much as wee can while we are in Ethiopia!!!
Please keep praying!

A great big thank you to David and Daniel!!!

2010-10-05T18:23:00.000-07:00

A friend of ours Mother was having a tag sale this last weekend. Her son David asked if he could have a lemonade stand. He was asked if he wanted to keep the profits or give it to a charity. After thinking for a few minutes he decided that he would like to donate to our family to help bring our daughter home. David who is in 2nd grade and his little brother Daniel who is 3 1/2 worked all day Saturday selling lemonade. He is bringing over his donation to our adoption later this week! David and Daniel, we thank you so much! What a generous thing you did!

Foster Care Again!

2010-08-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

This last Tuesday night, our home study agency once again asked us to do temporary foster care for them. We now have a 1 year old boy with us! He is a very big boy and I can certainly say that I am not used to carrying a 26 pound baby around! Boy are my arms and back sore... He is in the process of being placed up for domestic adoption. Please pray for him and his future, there are a lot of things up in the air right now. Please pray for his birth mom and his prospective adoptive parents!

Need coffee?

2010-08-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

How's your coffee stock doing? We're in the final stages of our adoption, expecting to travel to Ethiopia in October and again a month or two later. If you need coffee or have family or friends who appreciate good coffee, check out the link below. A portion of any coffee we sell goes to support our expenses.

Neither Lori nor I are coffee drinkers, but we hear that the coffee is really good. Go to:

http://www.justlovecoffee.com/laughners

Thanks for your support.

Tom

Referral News!!!

2010-08-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

A gift from God (Our precious daughter holding her first doll from us)

On July 19th, we received a referral for the sweetest almost 5 year old little girl! We are not allowed to post pictures until we pass court... You will just have to take our word that she is just precious! Please pray for her and her time that she will spend in the Transition Home (that our agency runs) until we can bring her home. We are praying that this week our agency will be able to secure us a court date for early Oct. The Ethiopian Courts close Aug. 6th until Sept. 28th. If they are not able to, we will have to wait until Oct. to get a court date. If we can get one scheduled this week, it will allow us to see our daughter earlier, cheaper flights, and make it a lot easier for planning purposes.

The Ethiopian Courts close for the rainy season. As some of you remember we got caught in court closure last time with Daniel. We received our referral 2 years and 1 day after Daniel's referral!

We have been very blessed to be able to send our daughter care packages with traveling families. We have sent her clothes, a little doll, little animals, paper, crayons, a ball, a jump rope, etc. Other traveling families have also been very generous to us and have taken pictures of her for us! The pictures are such a special gift! We can't wait until it is our turn to take care packages and photos for other families!

The next steps are:
1. Get a court date (hopefully for early Oct - which would be a wonderful birthday present)
2. Travel for court (Tom, Lori, Sara, and Michael) and meet our daughter
3. Travel back home,
4. Wait for the US Embassy to give us clearance to bring her home
5. Travel back to Ethiopia to bring our daughter home
6. Get a wonderful Family picture taken with all of us in the same place!

There are still a lot of steps to bringing her home... PLEASE JOIN US IN PRAYER
Please pray our daughter home for the Holidays!!!
Thanks for all of the hugs, prayers, and support!

Check this out!

2010-07-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week Tom received an e-mail from a local author/photographer. She is co-writing an adoption book. She met with us last night and photographed our family. She took family pictures, a picture of Daniel and Tom looking at a picture of Ethiopia, and a brothers picture (with Michael, Benjamin, and Daniel). She is hoping to use a couple of these pictures in the book. The deadline is August and the book should come out 6 months later. The book will be geared for children ages 4 to 7 years old! You can check the author out at http://www.shelleyrotner.com/
She has also written a book called SHADES OF PEOPLE! Showing that people come in all shades. It is like wrapping paper, it doesn't matter the shade is on the outside it is what is in the inside that counts!

We will keep you updated as to when the adoption book is ready for purchase!

Thank you Sammy and Josalyn!

2010-06-14T18:39:00.000-07:00

Our Dear Nieces Sammy and Josalyn set up a snack stand to help raise money to bring their new cousin home from Ethiopia. They raised $52.00. Thank you so much girls!

Check out this poster in Ethiopia...

2010-06-09T05:09:00.001-07:00

A while back AWAA America World, our adoption agency contacted our family asking to use a picture of our family to promote domestic adoptions in Ethiopia. We gave our permission and that was it, we did not hear anything more. Last week a friend of ours was in Ethiopia on a mission trip and took a picture of this poster hanging in Ethiopia and sent it to us... What a surprise to see our family photo on posters in Ethiopia. Thank you Caleb!!!

Foster Care?

2010-05-25T06:42:00.001-07:00

Last week on Monday afternoon we received a phone call asking us to be foster parents for about 2 weeks. We would need to pick up a preemie 4 lb. 9oz. 3 week old baby girl from the hospital the following morning. After talking it over, we decided that if this is where we were needed at this time we would do it! We picked up Baby Alana Tuesday morning. She had a visiting nurse on Friday, she weighed in at 4 lb. 10 1/2 oz. She had her first check up Monday (at 4 weeks old) she weighed in at 4 lb. 13 1/2 oz. She we will have another weigh in this Thursday. Please pray for her, her birth mother, prospective adoptive family, and our family as we give her the care she needs!

Foster care, No this is not something that we signed up for or knew that we were cleared to do. With a completed home study with Wide Horizons For Children, they consider us able to foster care. When a need arises they turn to families with completed home studies and ask them to foster. So this call came as a big surprise. We all love Baby Alana, and are happy to help her in any way that we can. Yes it is taking some getting used to having baby in the house again and interrupted sleep.

Daniel can not say Baby Alana, so he calls her his "Baby Llama"! Praying for a great future for her!

Thank you Nikolai Family

2010-05-25T06:34:00.000-07:00

Our dear friends the Nikolai's had a garage sale and added on a bake sale for our family. They sold baked goods with the profits going towards our adoption travel expenses! We received this sweet card and a check for $181.50! Thank you so much! We love you guys!

If you are in the Milford IN, area my sweet nieces are having a snack stand during their garage sale to help bring their new cousin home! Thank you guys for all of your help!

New Fundraiser

2010-03-12T20:39:00.000-08:00

While we thought we had raised the money we needed for our adoption, we were thrown a curve ball this week when we learned that Ethiopia has changed their rules for court approval. Now, both parents have to be present for the court proceedings (in the past, our agency could represent us). We are now faced with an additional travel cost, since we'll now have to travel to Ethiopia twice.

There's an organization, Just Love Coffee, that helps families with their adoption fund raising efforts. We receive a percentage of every bag of coffee sold from the site. There are coffees from all around the world available. To order your coffee, visit:

http://www.justlovecoffee.com/laughners

Thanks for your support.

Tom and Lori

Kevin Barry Takes Delivery of His Coffee

2010-02-20T13:44:00.000-08:00

Kevin Barry was the winner of the Ethiopian coffee and coffee pot. Here is the picture of him with the coffee and coffee pot, and a video of the kids drawing his name. Thank you to Kevin and everyone else who purchased entry tickets!

Fundraisers.... Update

2010-02-02T04:44:00.000-08:00

We have one large payment left to pay when we receive our referral. We still have 3 adult small and one adult medium green "PROJECT ETHIOPIA" t-shirts (these are $20 each). We also have all sizes, kids 2T up to adult x-large (unisex and lady cuts) t-shirts. They are gray and are the "THEY ARE PRECIOUS IN HIS SIGHT" design.($10 each) We also have canvas bags with the "THEY ARE PRECIOUS IN HIS SIGHT" design ($10)

I am also considering a fundraiser tag sale/bake sale... if you would have any items that you would be willing to donate (and live locally) please let me know.

Our next big expense will be traveling to bring our daughter home.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support!
We can't wait to share more of this journey with you!

Great news!

2010-01-23T16:38:00.000-08:00

There are only seven unsponsored kids at Kind Heart. That means that 68 children are now matched up with families here in the United States, and the orphanage is able to meet the needs of these children. In addition, Kind Heart is working to obtain permits in order to build a bridge over the filthy river so the kids don't have to walk through the water with the suffocating stench when walking to the drop in center from the town. Thank you to everyone for your incredible support.

Because of the overwhelming support, and ongoing interest, I am going to expand our reach to another organization. Hanna's Homes is a drop-in center for children who have lost both of their parents. What's really unique about Hanna's Homes is that the children are placed in foster homes rather than having to live in an orphanage. It's a great model because the kids can receive the love and attention they need in a small home setting. I am gathering information and will share it as I have it available.

Tom

Kind Heart Sponsorships

2010-01-18T22:18:00.000-08:00

Hi all. People are signing up for sponsorships. I've included below a few of the kids that are now sponsored, which means that Kind Heart is in much better position to feed, clothe, and educate all of the kids at this facility.

Abenezer is four years old, and has been at Kind Heart for less than a year. He is a single orphan (one of his parents is deceased). Note the flies on his face. One of the things I noticed at many of the orphanages is that the kids don't bother to swat away the flies.

Tibebu is four years old and has been attending Kind Hearts for less than a year. He is a "vulnerable child" which means he has relatives living but they are unable to care for him adequately. I met Tibebu when I was in Ethiopia. I'll post more pictures of him later.

Wolnshet has attended Kind Hearts for two years. She is six years old. She is also a "vulnerable child."

Yobetal is seven years old and has been at Kind Heart for less than a year. He is a "vulnerable child."

There are lots more kids that need sponsored. Let me know if you're interested.

Supporting Kind Heart

2010-01-17T22:33:00.000-08:00

It's great to see the sponsorships coming in, knowing that the kids at Kind Heart will begin having their needs met on a daily basis. There are several ways you can support these kids:

1. Sponsor a child. The $34/month goes directly to the care center. You have the opportunity to develop a personal relationship with a child at Kind Heart. I have profiles for the kids there. You simply let me know you'd like to support a sponsorship, and I'll send you a profile.
2. Join a mission trip. Once a year, a group goes to visit Kind Heart. It's a chance to build relationships with the children, and experience the unique culture of the country.
3. Help Kind Heart with their large needs. Children's Hopechest and Kind Heart are developing a long term strategic plan, designed to help Kind Heart be self-sustaining. Each year, we will identify a major project and do fundraising for that project. You can make a one-time contribution towards that project.
4. Provide donations. In December, I took two large suitcases full of tooth paste, tooth brushes, socks, shoes, underwear, toys, vitamins, and first aid supplies to Ethiopia to be distributed to all of the orphanages we visited. Lori will be returning this year and will be visiting Kind Heart.

You can provide support in one or all four of the areas listed above. The sponsorships are ready to go now. I'll have information on items two and three at a later date.

Thank you for all of your support.

Tom

Ethiopian Coffee!

2010-01-12T18:51:00.001-08:00

Neither Lori nor I are coffee drinkers, but we're told that there's nothing like Ethiopian coffee. While there in December, I picked up some fresh roasted coffee beans (the roaster was right in the shop where we bought the beans) and an Ethiopian coffee pot. We will give away the pot and three bags of coffee at the end of January.

BONUS: If you share our coffee giveaway on your Facebook page or on your blog, you'll receive five extra entries with your order!

Tom

Have You Ever?

2009-12-30T04:50:00.000-08:00

* had to identify and explain to a nine-year-old child the concept of a toothbrush?

* been overwhelmed by dozens of kids running at you, wanting to be held, hugged, and touched?

* seen a young boy's face covered with knife scars, a permanent reminder of what it took for him to survive on the streets?

* smelled a river with a stench so strong that you want to vomit, and then found out that a group of kids have to walk through this river to get to school during the rainy season?

* given a child a hug, and felt only skin and bones beneath their dirty, tattered clothes?

Until this month, I hadn't either. But now, after a week-long trip to Ethiopia, I will never be able to forget the hundreds of kids we visited in orphanages and drop in centers around the country. Thanks to the generosity of our friends, family, and community, we were able to provide clothes, medicine, toys, and most importantly, food to these kids. And they were extremely grateful.

But the problem is that what we left behind won't last long. Some of these kids still live on the streets, some of them have lost both of their parents and live in the homes of other relatives only because of a sense of obligation and are not well cared for. Others live permanently in orphanages, growing up without the day to day adult contact that is so important for normal development.

How can you help?

The best way to help is to sponsor a child at one of the orphanages/drop in centers. I am working with Kind Heart, a drop-in center for young kids who have lost one or both of their parents (primarily to HIV) or live below the poverty line (less than $1.00/month). $35/month, which goes to the drop in center, is enough to provide food to a child for a month. One of the other folks who traveled with us observed that $35 is less than the cost of one meal for a family at a restaurant. Children's Hopechest facilitates the donations, and will also put you in contact with one of the children at Kind Heart.

If you would like to help, let me know. We will be formalizing the sponsorships in January. If you let me know you are going to sponsor a child, I will send you a bound photo book of some of the pictures I took of the incredible landscape, the city of Addis Ababa, and other interesting things I saw during my trip. (You can see them at http://tinyurl.com/tomethiopiapics.)

Tom

Photos

2009-12-29T18:41:00.001-08:00

Hi.

Below is a link to the photos I took on my recent trip to Ethiopia. There are over 700 of them. Although I took out a few of the duds, you'll find some are much better than others.

Thanks to those of you who have agreed to sponsor a child at the Kind Heart Drop-In Center. If you're interested in helping with a child, let me know.

Ethiopia Vision Trip 2009 - Tom

Tom

I'm back from Ethiopia. What's next?

2009-12-14T06:37:00.001-08:00

I hope you've enjoyed reading my reports from Ethiopia. I made it back safely, and am finally able to put the jet lag behind me.

When I set out to do this vision trip, my thought was that I would wait until after Christmas to take the next step for sponsorship. However, as Tom Davis (founder of Children's Hopechest) so ably stated while we were in Ethiopia, "there are children starving over here." Even though this message may get lost in the hub bub of Christmas, I don't want to wait.

Each member of our team selected an orphanage to sponsor. Two of us selected Kind Heart as the orphanage where we will focus our energy. Kind Heart was the drop in center where the kids have to walk through a polluted river to get to the school. They are between four and six years old, and are provided one meal a week by the school.

Sponsorship works on two fronts. First, any of you interested in helping the orphanage sponsor a child. You agree to $35/month for that child. The money is managed by Children's Hopechest and goes directly to the orphanage for its needs. Children's Hopechest has a team in Ethiopia that provides oversight to make sure it is being spent on the kids. If you're interested in sponsoring a child, let me know and I'll send you the information to get started. As part of the sponsorship, you're also encouraged to create a personal relationship with the child, writing your child letters, sending pictures, and also getting letters in return. These kids will love receiving letters from people, as their home situations are often not ideal, so the love and attention will be treasured.

In addition, as part of creating personal relationships with these kids, we are asked to visit the orphanage at least once a year. If you've never been to a third world country, you are in for an experience. While we are there, we will spend time playing with the kids, and/or helping with any needs. For example, we might paint the classrooms, or maybe build a playground for the kids. Children's Hopechest will work with the drop in center to determine what the needs are and work with us on the logistics. If you think you might be interested in going on such a trip, let me know and as the details begin to come into focus, I'll keep you informed.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers while I was on the trip. Thank you all for the donations you sent. They were much appreciated.

Tom

Sunday and Monday

2009-12-07T22:45:00.000-08:00

Sunday was truly a day of rest. Most of us attended a church service and then split into several groups. I decided to stay at the hotel, kick up my feet, and relax.

The church service was a unique experience. There were more than 600 people in attendance, and were they happy to be there. The first hour of the service was all singing. I didn’t understand a word of the songs, but there was lots of clapping, very loud singing, bouncing up and down, and in addition to the clapping at the end of a song, a chanting, high octave “loo, loo, loo, loo, loo…”. I have goose bumps now just thinking about it.

One of the members of our travel group did the sermon, with a translator. Jeremy interwove some of our experiences over this week into the sermon. It was inspiring. Periodically, the congregation would respond with a boisterous “Ah-men” after he had said something.

The sermon was followed by another 30 minutes of singing. It was a two hour service, but time really flew. A memorable experience.

Today, we visited a “drop-in center” about an hour south of Addis Ababa. The facility serves as a place for “double-orphans” (both parents have died, and the kids are living with relatives or family friends), “single-orphans” (one parent, usually the father, has died), or living in severe poverty (families making less than $1.00 a day). There are fifty-six kids between the ages of five and six receiving their schooling.

These children are at the drop-in center, receiving schooling, between 8:30am and 3:30pm. The center is able to gather funds (through donations from the teachers) to provide the kids a meal once a week. The meal is usually injera (think of a puffy, spongy tortilla). While some of the kids bring their own meal on the other days, most of the kids do not get food during the day, and some have not had food prior to school.

In order to get to school from the village, the kids cross a river. The river is downstream from two factories. The director walked us over to the river. Actually, to call it a river is a misnomer. This “river” emitted the worst smell I’ve ever experienced. The water was a dark brown with a green tint. The smell was overpowering, such that a few people had to quickly walk away. Unfortunately, once we’d experienced it, we were able to smell it even when we walked back up the hill to the center.

Right now, because it’s the dry season, the river is shallow and the kids can step on rocks to get across. In the rainy season, though, the water can get quite deep and the kids have no choice but to walk straight through.

Of all the kids we saw this week, these were in the worst health. They were nothing but skin and bones. They had sores on their faces and heads. Some of them had bad teeth. One of the girls had pus running out of her ear. As usual, these kids just wanted touched and hugged. I was pushing a couple of the kids on the swing, and others kept on coming to me saying “Agate, agate” (pronounced ah-gah-tay), which means “play with me”.

We had a great time playing with the kids, but were sad to know there is no immediate solution to the conditions in which these kids live.

Day 5

2009-12-05T12:02:00.000-08:00

While not nearly as emotional as yesterday, it was still an event filled, and touching day. Lots of kids, lots of needs.

Our first visit was to an orphanage in Woliso, two hours south of Addis Ababa. It was founded by a man named Job, who became inspired after meeting two small children in a church whose mother could not care for them. He petitioned the government for some land, and has accumulated funding over the years to build a primary building consisting of a kitchen, dining room, and dormitories, a church, an office/library, a bathroom facility, a water tank, and several other smaller structures. The dormitories have multiple bunk beds, each with a mosquito net to protect the kids from malaria. Unfortunately, many of the nets are torn, providing little protection. The church is open to the community, and is called Emmanuel Baptist Church. Job is very resourceful, and although the orphanage does not have a steady income, he has managed to continue to provide a refuge for these children who have lost both of their parents. The staff is paid only when money comes in, and the local pharmacy runs a tab for him for any medicine the kids need.

While the orphanage is at capacity, and has had to turn children away, in recent months, three infants have been abandoned at his orphanage. At least one of them was left outside the gate to his compound. Since they typically don’t have the resources to care for infants, Job had to scramble to provide the care for these babies. They don’t have formula, didn’t have cribs, and needed to hire someone to specifically care for them.

The highlight of the visit was hearing the kids sing several songs for us. I recorded them, so will try to upload the video when I get back to the U.S. We also had fun playing volleyball and soccer with the kids. (The three boys I was kicking the ball with had some amazing moves!)

As has been done with the other orphanages, our group pooled almost $900 for food. Children’s Hopechest will purchase the food and deliver it later.

The second visit was to a school geared towards helping kids who have lost at least one of their parents, or are living in extreme poverty. Currently run completely by volunteers, including a reporter for the local television station and an executive for Ethiopian Airlines, they provide uniforms, school supplies, tuition (even the government schools here have tuition), and tutoring for the kids. During the summer, they train the kids on the computer. Currently these activities are performed in a government school (the classroom we were in did not have working lights, had a rudimentary chalkboard, and was filthy).

The volunteers have a grand vision of renting a house where they can also provide meals to the children (it’s hard to teach kids when they have an empty stomach), expand their tutoring efforts, and provide ongoing computer training.

Finally, we went to watch some children participate in a soccer practice that is part of a mission to help get kids active and off of the streets. It's organized by Ephrem, a friend of Robel our guide last year for the adoption. (We're having breakfast with Robel tomorrow.) Many of the kids playing soccer know Robel. The kids play soccer on an asphalt square in the middle of Addis Ababa. Ephrem is trying to find a grass field for the soccer. It was fun talking to the kids after practice, but a little intimidating as we were on a public square with all of the other citizenry hanging around. One child came up to me and asked me if I was America, and if I like Obama. After I responded that yes, I do like Obama, he pointed to himself and said, “I like Bush!”

Until tomorrow!

Day 4

2009-12-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

Day 4

What a day.

We visited two orphanages. Each was unique, each was an awesome experience, and both were emotionally draining. I’m going to ignore the “keep it to a page” rule. There’s too much to write – I hope you’ll still read it through.

The first visit was to Hope for the Hopeless. Hope for the Hopeless finds children on the streets and offers them a place to stay. In exchange for schooling, a roof over their head, and meals (more on this part later), they agree to accept behavioral parameters. While housed, the staff attempt to reunite them with their families. If this is not possible, after three to six months, they are transferred to a larger orphanage outside Addis Ababa where they will stay until they are adopted, or able to move on.

There were at least thirteen kids at Hope for the Homeless, ages ranging from nine to thirteen. Most of the boys sleep two to a bed. All but two are girls. There is no doubt that they come from the streets. Many of the boys have scarring on their faces where they were slashed by knives, either through fighting other kids, or from being attached by adults. The two girls have histories of abuse (use your most vivid imagination to think about the tragedies these young girls have experienced). They are not healthy children. They have rotten teeth, crusted fingernails, sores, and are very thin. (If kids are tested as being HIV+, they are not permitted to stay because of the extensive and close interaction with the other kids.) While they would smile for a camera, or if they saw you looking at them, they looked sad and lost at other times. I have never seen such sadness in children of this age.

We had fun playing with them. The hit of the day was Pete’s iPod. He had a large group of kids circled around him listening to the music, playing “air” instruments, and rocking to the beat. One boy in particular, who had been withdrawn up to that point, lit up when the songs started playing. While the other boys had fun throwing balls and playing with the balloons, he showed no interest. The music brought him out of his shell. The kids at all of the orphanages love our digital cameras. None of the orphanages we’ve visited have mirrors, so we surmise that the kids may not even know what they look like. They had lots of fun posing, and then having us show them their pictures.

We also dropped off medical supplies, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and vitamins. One of the boys, upon having explained to him what he could do with his toothbrush, got a huge smile on his face, running off to tell the other boys about his new treasure.

These kids, too, wanted to be touched, but were tentative about approaching us. At first, they were content with fist bumps and high fives. However, as we were leaving, we pulled them into hugs. A couple of the boys just held on; it was difficult to pull away from them.

The minister of Hope for the Hopeless is an exceptional man. He keeps meticulous records of the children as they pass through, and does extensive follow-ups on the kids once they’re placed in a home (they have problems with girls being adopted as many families are only looking for a servant).

I have a nine year old son who is growing, and developing, and is a very happy child with lots of opportunities. I couldn’t help but thinking about Michael as I saw these kids who are his age. I couldn’t help but thinking about what these kids have experienced in their short lives, things our kids will never have to go through. It is difficult to imagine a future for these young children. “Heartbroken” may be an overused word, but it comes very close to how I felt about these kids.

After lunch we visited Compassion Family International (CFI). These kids are younger, have families or relatives caring for them, but need to have a place to go when their parents are at work. If it weren’t for places like CFI, the children would most likely be left at home on their own, depending on neighbors to look out for them. Considering that many of the poorer housing areas are nothing more than one room shacks, many on busy roads, it is a dangerous situation.

This “drop in center” cares for fifty children. There are twenty-five young children in the morning and early afternoon, and another twenty-five fifteen and sixteen year-olds who come after school. There is no charge to participate. The younger kids have schooling, meals, play time, and nap time. The program is run by Peter Aberra, who also directs the Ethiopian branch of Children’s Hopechest. As we arrived at CFI, we could hear the children chanting “Peter, Peter” inside the compound and then applauding and laughing when they saw him. Unlike the older boys at Hope for the Hopeless, these children were not shy about needing their touching. For the first half hour, I either had two kids in my arms, or four kids hanging onto my hands.

For some reason this afternoon, the kids had a fascination with my hair. When we first brought Daniel home, our kids were constantly rubbing his hair. I told them to stop, as I have some African-American friends who have told me they do not like it when people do this. Today at CFI, I had more kids rubbing my hair than I could count. Seemingly, every time I turned around, another kid had his hands in my hair. I thought it was pretty funny!

After a tour of the facility, our travel group huddled about how we could help CFI. We pooled $750 to buy mattresses, blankets, and food. The look on the kids’ faces when Peter told them was priceless.

We also talked about how we could help Hope for the Hopeless. One member of our group had overheard the director mention the little bit of food they have. We decided to 1) purchase some groceries at a local market and deliver them to the orphanage, and 2) pool our donations to provide funding for food.

The most emotional moment of this trip so far was when we presented the money and food to the director. Each of us put in what we thought was needed, without knowing what others had contributed (our standard practice). It ended up being $980. Tom Davis, of Children’s Hopechest, contributed another $300. Somehow, I was chosen t make the presentation. The person who drafted me told me I had to do it because she would only cry. Well, I made it about a sentence in before I started to lose it. Somehow I stumbled through!

As part of the presentation of the gift, we told the director that this money came from our friends, our families, and our churches. During his acceptance, he told us that in fact they had no food left, and there was no more money for food. If it hadn’t been for our donation, the boys would have gone hungry. The director was overwhelmed by the donation. There were about thirty of us (Children’s Hopechest staff, orphanage staff, kids, and our travel group) standing in the small courtyard of the orphanage, and there wasn’t a dry eye among us. Even now as I write this, my eyes are misting.

We are all deeply touched by our experience here in Ethiopia. Tomorrow we travel south to Woliso (a two hour drive). Thank you for all of your prayers, thoughts, and well wishes. Thank you for your contributions. Your support is having a tremendous impact of hundreds of kids here in Ethiopia.

Tom

Day 3 just in from Tom

2009-12-03T14:38:00.000-08:00

Day 3

It’s day three of the trip, and I haven’t posted anything. A combination of computer temper tantrums and restricted Internet access has prevented me from keeping the blog updated.

Someone said today that blog postings should be limited to one page, otherwise no one will read them. So, instead of combining everything into one post, I’m going to concentrate on today. Later I’ll catch everyone up. Here are some “hooks”; eleven hour car rides, mules, camels, road construction, dead batteries, dead cow, and abandoned bus drivers. And that was just yesterday!

Today we visited an orphanage in Kombolcha (look up Kombolcha Ethiopia on Google maps). The orphanage is sponsored by Grace Baptist Church. They offer two programs; a school for the general population, and a drop in center for orphans. These orphans come from families whose parents have both passed away, primarily from HIV. They live with extended family (aunts, uncles, grandparents) or friends that have taken them in. Because having another mouth to feed is such a burden on a family, these orphans are typically treated very poorly. They are not cared for as needed, and are often abused. Many obviously have medical issues. Grace Baptist provides a place for them to stay during the day, and when they have the money, provides them a meal.

After arriving in Kombolcha last night, we met the children, introduced ourselves, and played for a bit. Today we spent another three hours there playing the entire time. We all had a great time, and would have stayed longer if it hadn’t been for the long ride back to Addis Ababa. The kids were split into four groups and rotated amongst stations. My group played “Duck, Duck, Goose” and “Simon Says.” It was quite the challenge playing Simon Says when the kids only understand Amharic.

I left Grace Baptist deeply moved. The kids had a great time, and it was definitely worth the 21 hours of travel time for the little bit we spent with them. I think the kids, more than anything else, loved being touched. We were all swamped by kids wanting to shake hands, kissing our hands, holding hands, and looking for hugs. One little girl was practically on my lap every chance she got. Three kids were holding my two hands at one point. Even the boys wanted to do fist bumps and weren’t worried about a hug.

It is hard to see children in such poor condition. While I’m glad we were able to bring a little bit of joy to their lives, I’m sad that they don’t get the attention they need on a daily basis. One of the goals of this trip is to find sponsors for these orphanages back in the United States. Children’s Hopechest is hoping that sponsoring organizations are able to develop personal relationships with the kids, including coming to visit. I pray that Grace Baptist is able to find a sponsor.

At the end of the day, our group presented the pastor of the church with $2000 to buy food for the kids. This money came from the donations from the friends, families, and churches of the people on this trip. We also left three large suitcases full of clothes, toys, crafts, and medical supplies. Thank you all for your support in this effort to improve the lives of the children here.

2009-12-02T13:16:00.000-08:00

This is copied from Peter Kidd's blog

Day TWO
This blog update is coming from my phone while lying under a mosquito net deep in the heart of Ethiopia so please excuse the brevity.

Today was spectacular, comical, heartbreaking, treacherous, educational and humbling all mixed together - a cocktail of emotions, of which words alone can not describe, which left a bitter sweet taste in my mouth and left me wanting more.

The ride to Kombolche was simply crazy - 11 hrs vs 6 with no 'traffic' to speak of - other than the constant threat of a collision with a goat, cow, camel or human (more on that at another time). The 'roads' at times were ridiculous and treacherous but the scenery at all times was absolutely spectacular. We reached as high as 10K feet and the expansive mountainous views were panoramic at times. cont

Blog cont...

We finally got to visit with the kids (120 of them) most of whom appear to be double orphans (mom and dad dead) but you never know and it really doesn,t matter when you are with them face to face - they are dirt poor and they are struggling to survive. They are not at fault - but they are paying the price...

I have much to say about these children but little time here. So let me use a few words to describe them - beautiful, loving, polite (unless toys are being given out - then they can get crazed!), survivors, hopeful, hungry and very dusty

One beautiful little girl, Irache, told me her name and her brothers' and sisters' names four times (at different times) in broken English. She wanted so badly to impress me - she did. Looking forward to seeing her and the rest of the kids tomorrow...

Good night

We're going back tomorrow for a few hours

Day One in Ethiopia

2009-12-02T03:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Tom and the others arrived in Ethiopia. It was a long tiring flight but with happy hearts they dumped their bags and headed out to visit the first care point center. From the short e-mail I received last night their is only one computer they are able to post from and a long line and not much time to get to it. I am sharing some photos from the first day taken by Tom Davis. I am also going to share with you what Peter Kidd was able to post to his blog. The team is doing pretty well. One of the team members were pretty sick Tuesday night but was feeling better this morning before they left for their 6 hour drive to Kolmbocha. One other team member this morning was not quite up to par. Please continue to pray for their health and safety.
This is from Peter Kidd
So today was a very good day! We arrived safe in sound in Addis Ababa after about 19 hours door to door (15 hours of flying time). Being six foot one on Ethiopian Airlines is a bit of a liability but overall I got say it was a great flight. The highlight of the flight was an impromptu choir concert that broke out while we were sitting in Rome refueling the plan - it was awesome, the whole plane was into it. Wish I could speak Amharic, because I didn't understand a word that was said. But as a nice woman at the bathroom reminded me, praise is praise.

After a quick lunch with the team (fried chicken??) we headed over to a carepoint/orphanage by the name of Quary (sp?), and spent a few hours with the kids. Some of the kids there are orphans others are just receiving day care so to speak while their mothers go out and work. This facility teaches the mothers a skill/trade (like basket weaving or sewing) so that they can earn money.

We had a blast with the kids. Spent some time playing games with them and just, well, hanging out with them. One of the highlights was a parachute game that we brought, the kind we use to play with in grade school. The kids loved it and laughed the whole time. One little girl 'Milky' took my heart when she gave me a kiss on my cheek (I'm a sucker!) I was ready to scoop her up and take her home with me.

Ultimately, we determined that this facility is not one that Childrens HopeChest will sponsor, due to the fact that many of the kids are still living with their mom (or dad) and the others are adoption eligible. Adoption eligible kids are not a part of the HopeChest model (www.hopechest.org) for good reasons that I don't have time to discuss now.

Bottom line, we had a blast, the kids had a blast and we are here!

Tomorrow we take a 6.5 hour drive to a city Kombolcha, north of Addis. We're told the situation is pretty dire there so we'll see.

For now it's time for dinner and a much need night of sleep!

Peace out! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

T Shirt

2009-12-02T03:32:00.000-08:00

This is a photo of our T-Shirt that we are giving as a thank you with a minimum of a $25 donation. We have small, medium, and large left. Thank you for your support.
Thank you to the Harbaugh family for your generous donation and give away. Check out their blog http://www.notquitedoneadopting.blogspot.com/

2009-11-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

I leave for Ethiopia tomorrow evening. I'll spend Sunday night in Washington DC and leave at 9:30 am Monday morning. Internet permitting, I'll be posting to this blog during my trip.

There is a large group of us going on this trip. They'll also be posting to their blogs.

Tom Davis (head of Children's Hopechest, the organization leading this trip)

Thanks to Karen for compiling this list!

Tom

Amazing People at Dwight Chapel

2009-11-18T19:14:00.001-08:00

This is pretty amazing. Our church has a Wednesday night "Kids Club." One of the things the kids can do is accumulate points by memorizing verses, participation, etc. Every few weeks, they're able to use their points at a store to get candy, toys, and trinkets. This year, our congregation donated items that could be taken to the orphanages. The kids then had the option to use some of their points to "buy" these items for me to take with me. This picture represents the items the kids bought with their points. Thanks to the Dwight Chapel congregation AND thanks to the kids for their giving spirit!

Two weeks...

2009-11-16T18:08:00.000-08:00

Two weeks from today I will be on my way to Ethiopia with Children’s Hopechest (http://www.hopechest.org/). We are visiting eight orphanages over ten days in an effort to determine how we might help them meet any needs they may have. We will also be spending time with the kids.

I’m looking forward to the trip. When we adopted Daniel last year, Lori and I made a commitment to continue to identify ways to work with the great people of Ethiopia. We met a lot of wonderful people, and I can’t wait to return and find ways to contribute to the countless needs there.

We’ve received some great donations from local groups; 80 toothbrushes and 76 tubes of toothpaste from our dentist, socks, vitamins, soap, shoes, balls, band aids, shoes and more from friends. We’ve also received monetary donations. We’ll be using that money to pool with the other folks traveling so we can purchase items while in country. Another group, visiting Uganda, used their combined money to purchase mattresses for one of the orphanages, and mosquito nets for a large group of kids.

If you’re interested in making a donation, there are two ways to contribute. You can visit the Children’s Hopechest web site. Make sure you specify your donation is for the upcoming Ethiopia mission trip and include my name.

The other way to contribute is via our blog (http://laughners.blogspot.com). If you make your donation via our blog, we’ll send you your choice of t-shirt for every $25 you donate (we have two designs – the newer Ethiopia adoption shirt, and last year’s “They Are Precious in His Sight” shirts and bags).

If I’m able, I’ll be blogging my trip. I’ll also be taking lots of pictures and video.

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers.

Tom

One year ago today....

2009-11-03T03:47:00.000-08:00

One year ago today we met and held our son for the first time! We went to the Transition Home with 6 other families (who were also meeting their kids for the first time). This is where Daniel went to live after leaving the orphanage. We lined up in alphabetical order and they brought our kiddos out to meet us. We all took pictures for each other. Here are pictures of our first meetings with Daniel "Fitsum"!

The lower pictures are more recent pictures of him... what a difference a year can make!
We are blessed beyond words we have 5 wonderful children with number 6 on the way! We can't begin to put in words how adoption and our Ethiopia journey has touched and changed every member of our family! We can't imagine life without Daniel! He is a true gift from God! Thank you for following our journey and supporting us!

Adoption T-Shirt is here... Get yours now!

2009-10-20T17:46:00.000-07:00

Please consider purchasing a T-shirt to help support Tom's mission trip to Ethiopia and to help us bring home our daughter from Ethiopia.
We have completed all of our dossier paperwork. We are waiting on a last CORI check for our finalized Home Study. When we get this we can apply for our fingerprinting which will result in our immigration approval. Once we have this we can submit our dossier. The last two families from our agency, that requested a 4-6 year old girl received their referral in 19 days. Please pray for the rest of these documents so we can bring our daughter home.
We thank you for being a part of this journey with us!

More information to come on the Mission trip.

We want to thank all of our friends, Dwight Chapel, Pioneer Clubs, and Amherst Dental for all the donations for the orphanages in Ethiopia.
Thank you for your support and prayers!

Misson trip to Ethiopia... next month!

2009-10-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

November mission trip to Ethiopia
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Thank you all for following our blog. I just received this update from Children's Hopechest, describing the orphanages our group will be visiting in Ethiopia next month. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we begin the planning for how to provide much needed support to these organizations.

Tom
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Kind Heart
Ownership: Private
Type: School
Number of Children: 56
Ages: 5 to 9 years of age
Orphanage director: Peshome
Location: Addis Ababa

Kind Heart was established in 1995 and focused on educational and vocational training for children and young adults. In the past they had programs for the hearing impaired, family support, and emergency relief assistance. Today, they are a school for young children (KG1 and 2) where basic education is taught and the children receive one meal a day. The school is located on 40K square meters near a river that is contaminated by a textile plant. About half of the children have to cross this river in order to get to school. The vocational school for students ages 16-18 is still on the property with equipment and supplies, but it is not functional because they cannot afford salaries for teachers. The current needs are food, school supplies, and salaries for the kindergarten teachers, guard, and cook. Capital projects may include a new kitchen and a clean water well. Peshome communicated to us in September 09 that due to the support from Children’s HopeChest, Kind Heart will remain open and continue as a school for younger children. Closing this facility was under consideration until HopeChest provided support.

Hope for the Hopeless Drop-in Center
Ownership: Private
Type: Drop-in center
Number of Children: 15
Ages: 8 years of age and up
Orphanage director: Fekadu Shenuke
Location: Addis Ababa

The Drop-in Center is a short term home. Children are brought by local police or they come on their own because they know it is a safe place where they can wash, get food, and be sheltered. These children have lost their parent due to disease or other circumstances. The Drop In Center also provides spiritual guidance if they want to participate.
Note: Hope fro the Hopeless Drop-in Center is perfect for a group or organization to sponsor corporately. Letter writing and long term discipleship cannot function in the typical manner due to the transitional nature of the orphans.

Kombolcha/ Grace Baptist Church Development Program drop-in center
Ownership: Private/Baptist Church
Type: Drop-in center
Number of Children: aid to 180 children five days a week, area has 400+ in need
Ages: 7 to14 years of age
Orphanage director: Dawit Gebeyehu
Location: Kombolcha, Ethiopia, 375 kilometers north of Addis Ababa

The church located at the central part of the town of Kombolcha, and there are many factories and industries in this area. The government has selected 420 kids in Kombolcha that are in need and “given” to the church to care for. The church is able to provide food once a day for 180 of these children. They did have a donor that provided food for all these children, but the donor is no longer supporting the church. Their needs are food, medical treatment, clothing and schooling. The church currently teaches them about Jesus and character development. It takes the children 20 minutes to get to the church.

Emanuel Orphanage
Ownership: Private
Type: Orphanage/drop in center
Number of Children: 122
Ages: 5 to 15 years of age
Orphanage director: Eyob
Location: Woliso, Ethiopia, one hour’s drive south of Addis Ababa

Currently 45 kids live at this location and an additional 75 children in the community come to the center for medical treatment, food, clothing, education. Many people come to this community because there is a lake and spring water there.

Promising Integrated Action for the Relief of Needy Ethiopia (PIARNE)
Ownership: Privately owned by Mintesinot
Type: Drop in center
Number of Children: 81 children (26 are double orphans; 55 are single orphans)
Ages: 4 to 16 years or age
Orphanage director: Mintesinot
Location: Addis Ababa

Most of the children have lost one or both parents to HIV. Their needs are food, clothing, medical, and education. Currently the property is small with an office that serves as a temporary place to gather. The government recently approved a larger piece of property for the drop in center.

A letter to our friends and family

2009-09-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

September 30, 2009

Dear family and friends,

In April of 2006, we made the decision to undertake an international adoption. We learned a lot about faith, God's timing, true love, true need, desperate circumstances, Ethiopia (Africa), and how easy it is to love an orphan. The end result of our adoption from Ethiopia is a very special addition to our family ten months ago – Daniel Fitsum. Many people point out how blessed he is to have us. We respond how blessed we are to have him in our family. We can't thank God enough for how much this journey has changed our lives.

While in Ethiopia we experienced the Ethiopian culture and people; they are wonderful. While there, we also saw the impact of the AIDS crisis, the food shortage, the lack of health care, and poverty unlike most of us have ever seen. Spending time in Ethiopia: around town, the orphanages, transition home, and spending time with our guide, who shared with us what life is like in Ethiopia, fundamentally changed us. We left a piece of our heart in Ethiopia. We came back knowing that we would be going back and that we needed to help in a bigger way.

That brings us to the next phase of our journey.

We have decided to adopt again, and to join with others to identify ways to work in Ethiopia to affect the larger issues faced there. Tom will be traveling on a mission trip from November 29th to December 9. He will be traveling to Addis Ababa where we were last year, and then traveling another three to four hours from the capital city. He is traveling with a group of fellow adoptive parents from our agency, along with Tom Davis with Children's HopeChest Ministries. This is a vision trip to check out seven to eight orphanages and see how they need help; could be a well to give 5,000 people clean water to drink, could be mattresses so the children in the orphanages aren't sleeping on the floor, or even nets to protect the kids from mosquitoes at night. They will be making long term plans and devising ways to build support here in the United States..

There are an estimated 4.8 million orphans in Ethiopia. We are called to take care of the widows and orphans. Most people that adopt want to adopt infants or young toddlers. For this reason, we are requesting an older child. We are requesting a girl between the ages of four and six. We are very excited to see who God has picked for our family.

If you are interested in learning more about Africa, we recommend that you read Scared by Tom Davis or It's Not OK With Me by Janine Maxwell. They are both very difficult books to read, but let you get a glimpse at the life of many in Africa. There Is No Me Without You by Melissa Faye Greene provides a historical perspective that explains some of the reasons the continent has reached its current state of affairs.

We are asking our family and friends to support us on this journey to make a difference. We ask that you prayerfully consider making a donation to help with the expenses of giving a home to an orphan, the mission trip, and the support for the orphanages in Ethiopia. We have created an adoption t-shirt. Anyone making a minimum of a $25 donation will receive a t-shirt as a “Thank You” from our family. The shirts come in adult sizes; small, medium, large, and extra large. Please let us know what size and how many you would like. We will post information about the adoption and the mission trip to our blog (http://laughners.blogspot.com). Most of all we are asking for your prayers as we step out of our comfort zone and away from the safety of the United States.

Please keep our family in your prayers, along with the little girl on the other side of the world that God has chosen to join our family in his time.

We greatly appreciate the role that each of you play in our lives. We are thankful for each and everyone of you! Thank you for being a part of this journey with us.

Tom and Lori Laughner

Adoption T-shirt

2009-09-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

We have decided on our adoption t-shirt. What do you think? We have just ordered them and they should be here soon. Let us know if you would be interested in purchasing one.
The text inside the bubble says "adoption" in Amharic!

Daniel just being Daniel

2009-09-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

Dinosaur Train

2009-09-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

DINOSAUR TRAIN embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains. The series encourages basic scientific thinking and skills as the audience learns about life science, natural history and paleontology. Each of the 40 half-hour episodes features Buddy, an adorable preschool age Tyrannosaurus Rex, and his adoptive Pteranodon family as they board the DINOSAUR TRAIN and embark on whimsical voyages through prehistoric jungles, swamps, volcanoes and oceans. The episodes include two 11-minute animated stories, along with brief live action segments hosted by renowned paleontologist Dr. Scott Sampson, that unearth basic concepts in life science, natural history and paleontology.

Dinosaur Train is Daiel's new favorite show. He is in love with dinosaurs. So there was no surprise when he picked out a dinosaur costume for Halloween.

Daniel is so excited when he gets the dinosaur costume at Target that he has this big dinosaur sitting on his lap in the stroller through the whole mall. His friend dinosaur shares his car seat with him on the ride home. He then wears the costume to watch Dinosaur Train. We end up taking the dinosaur with us to watch Daniel get his hair cut... he is now napping with dinosaur. If you haven't seen the show, check it out!

2009-09-15T05:18:00.000-07:00

The Branson Reunion was incredible... I just want to say thank you to all the families that worked so hard to make it possible. Thank you also to all the families that made the journey. I can't even begin to describe what it was like to meet all the families that we have shared this journey with. It was amazing to see so many healthy smiling faces from Ethiopia. I loved seeing the families that took pictures of Daniel in the transition home and prayed over him before we got to meet him. It was incredible to see the little ones again that we met in the transition home. We had the opportunity to meet many families and can't wait to meet up again some day! Adoption is a wonderful life changing journey and I am so glad to have shared it with all of you!

Here we go again.... Take 2!

2009-08-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

We are happy to announce that the Laughner Family is once again growing! We are going back to Ethiopia! We were accepted back into the program and will soon be starting our dossier. We are requesting a 4-6 year old little girl!

To answer some of the questions....
Yes we will have enough kids to be the Brady Bunch!
No we are not trying for our own baseball team.
Yes this is the last one! Yes we have said this before.
Michael and Lori will be traveling to Ethiopia to meet our princess!
Yes, Tom is OK with adopting one more.
Yes Michael has agreed to play with Barbies and Littlest Pet Shop on the plane.
Yes we have to go through the whole process again, with a shorter home study, and a few discounts.
Yes the referral should come quicker because of requesting an older child.
Whether or not we are crazy is debatable.... it depends on who you ask. Some say yes, some say we just still have love to share.

Please pray for our family during this process and the daughter that God has chosen for our family!

It's Official, Daniel is a US citizen!

2009-08-06T07:18:00.000-07:00

Today we went in front of the judge.... Daniel is officially Daniel Fitsum Laughnerand a US citizen! It was a fun morning and a positive court experience! The judge was so nice and made the kids a part of the ceremony. She let the kids each pick their favorite color of pen. She then used each of their pens to sign the documents and let the kids keep the pens as a memory. She posed for pictures and finished with a hug and a high five for Daniel. Our good friend Kelly went with us to offer support and play photographer. Thank you Kelly!

One year!

2009-07-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

One year ago on July 18th we received our referral for Daniel! Enjoy the video, and see what a difference a year can make!

Posing for Pictures...

2009-07-09T19:59:00.001-07:00

Virginia Vacation 09

2009-07-09T10:37:00.001-07:00

On June26th we packed up the mini van and the 7 of us headed off for Virginia. We drove to Fredrickburg VA. It took a lot longer than it should have. We got stuck in DC traffic and at one point made it 5 miles in one hour. We just kept watching the GPS say you have an hour to go... we would drive an hour and it would still say you have a hour to go. We got in late that evening just in time for a nasty thunder storm. We were lucky enough to stay at a friends parents home while they were away. On Sat. morning we got up and drove towards DC and then took the subway the rest of the way. We spent the first half of the day sight seeing DC. We saw the Washington Monument, Lincoln's Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, WWII Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, the White House.... then we decided to stop by the BBQ Festival for lunch. Well we were having so much fun we spent the rest of our afternoon there. We had lunch (lots of free samples), the girls played many rounds of Knock Out (basketball) Sara came in first place and Allison 2nd place, we did baseball pitching (the girls each won two ticket to the Orioles baseball game, we tried all kinds of activities that were set up. That evening Tom took Michael and Benjamin to the Orioles vs. Nationals game (the girls gave the boys their tickets) Mom, the girls, and Daniel went shopping in Baltimore and to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. We ended up getting back at 1:30 in the morning. On Sunday we got up and drove to Williamsburg VA. We just hung out at our time share and swam. On Monday we got up and headed over to VA Beach. The kids had a great time playing in the waves and sand. Daniel was so funny, he took a while to take to the sand... then he would tip toe towards the water... as soon as the waves started to come he would scream and run away as fast as he could. We did some shopping, and went out for pizza. On Tuesday we decided to stay close by. We hung out and swam, went to Yankee Candle (the four oldest kids) made wax moldings of their hands. We went shopping at the outlet mall and celebrated Allsison's birthday dinner. On Wednesday we went to Busch Gardens. We rode water rides, roller coasters, had lunch with Sesame Street characters (which Daniel was scared of)watched fireworks, and had a great day. On Thursday we ventured back to VA. Beach. We decided to try para sailing. It was so cool! We all 7 went out on the boat. They let Sara and Allison try driving the boat. The girls were harnessed first and taken to 1200 feet in the air. It was a blast. The best part is when they would bring us back in and dip us in the ocean and then take us back up. When we came in then the boys went up. After para sailing we went back to the beach where the kids tried out their new boogie boards. While swimming we saw dolphins swimming not far from us. We then met up with friends for dinner. We headed back home on Friday. What a great vacation!

The last dayof school 2009!

2009-06-19T05:55:00.000-07:00

Today is finally our last day of school.

Today is Allison's last day as a 6th grader. She will be leaving Chestnut Hill and will be moving on to Jabbish Brooks. Allison has had a great year. She was in a play, played piano for the pit band of another play, played clarinet in the 6th grade band, was in the 6th grade chorus, accomplished another year of piano lessons, played basketball, passed the safe sitter course, had great grades all year, among other things.

Today is Michael's last day as a 3rd grader at Swift River. He will be moving up to Chestnut Hill school. Michael has had a great year. He played, soccer(3 sessions), basketball, flag football, is taking guitar lessons, has had great grades, and been a part of many other things this year.

Today is Benjamin's last day as a kindergartner. He is leaving Cold Spring School, and moving up to Swift River. He has had a great year. He played two sessions of soccer, t-ball, flag football, and made many new friends. He had a great kindergarten year.

Life at the Laughner House....

2009-06-18T06:12:00.000-07:00

Our Daniel that we all know and love, even when he stuffs things down the toilet and Dad is out of town. Yes that is duct tape holding the lid down, no you can not use the toilet, yes you need to go all the way upstairs to use the toilet. Happy Fathers Day Dad, you get to take the toilet apart when you get back from CA.

Michael turned 9 this week. We went to Red Robins for his birthday lunch. He got a new guitar, strap, and carrying case. He had 10 boys over Sat. from 4:30-9:00 to celebrate. We had challenges, a digital scavenger hunt, bingo, pizza, and ice cream sundaes. It is hard to believe that he could be 9 and going into 4th grade.

We had a fireplace and bookshelves built in. This took a while but was worth the wait.

The next book on my list to read. Just waiting on it to get here!

2009-06-10T04:56:00.000-07:00

"Think of the plight of the orphan somewhere right now out there in the world. It's not just that she's lonely. It's that she has NO inheritance, no future. With every passing year she's less "cute," less adoptable. In just a few years, on her eighteenth birthday, she'll be expelled from the orphanage or from "the system." What will happen to her then? Maybe she'll join the military or find some job training. Maybe she'll stare at a tile on the ceiling above her as her body is violated by a man who's willing to pay her enough to eat for a day, alone in a back alley or in front of a camera crew of strangers. Maybe she'll place a revolver in her mouth or tie a rope around her neck, knowing NO ONE will have to deal with her except, once again the bureaucratic "authorities" who can clean up the mess she leaves behind. Can you feel the force of such desperation?
Jesus can.
She's his little sister.

What if a mighty battalion of Christian parents would open their hearts and their homes to unwanted infants- infants some so-called "clinics" would like to see carried out with the medical waste? It might mean that next Christmas there'll be one more stocking at the chimney at your house..a new son or daughter who escaped the abortionist's knife or the orphanage's grip to find at your knee the grace of a carpenter's Son."
Quote from a BRAND NEW adoption book titled...
Adopted For Life- Russell D. Moore

I just finished reading "Fields of the Fatherless" and "Scared" by Tom Davis. I would recommend reading these books whether you are thinking about adoption or not. As Christians we are called to help and make a difference. Challenge yourself about how you can help someone in need.

Laughners are coming to Branson!

2009-05-29T05:22:00.000-07:00

We are very excited to say.... The Laughner Family will be at the reunion!We can not wait to meet all of you!

Look who is "2"!

2009-05-28T07:56:00.001-07:00

Daniel had a great 2nd birthday. We started the celebration when Grandma and Grandpa were here. We celebrated again with family in PA, and last night with friends. He got a bike, a playhouse, play food and dishes, a "Cars" book, a big Mickey ball, sand toys, a big bubble maker, money for new clothes.
Enjoy the pictures...

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

On Memorial Day Weekend we flew to Pittsburgh for Tom's Mother's Memorial Service. The service was beautiful. Allison played Amazing Grace on her clarinet and read a poem, Michael played Will the Circle be Unbroken on his guitar, Benjamin read a poem, and Daniel slept through the whole thing. We then met up with some of Tom's family that he had not seen in 20 some years. We had a great day meeting and catching up with family. We then spent Sunday at Kennywood amusement park. We had a great time there with Tom's sister, brother in law, niece, and nephew. The boys got to drive by the Pittsburgh Steelers stadium and the baseball stadium. There was a lot of excitement in our vehicle. The boys also all got Steeler's jerseys. We had a great weekend.

Another busy week!

2009-05-21T07:01:00.001-07:00

Tom spent the week in AZ getting his Mother's house ready to rent. My parent came in for a long weekend from IN. We had 3 soccer games, a soccer party, another soccer event, a 6th grade showcase (Allison participated in the band, chorus, and a piano solo), a birthday party and I am sure I am leaving things out.

Check out the Laughner University sweat shirts that I found for us. The kids think they are really cool. Enjoy the pictures the kids are growing so fast.

Look who got his first birthday present...

2009-05-16T06:51:00.000-07:00

Daniel's grandparents, Aunt Heidi, Uncle Eric, and Sammy and Jos got Daniel a new bike a big Mickey ball for his second birthday. He got these gifts early since Grandma and Grandpa are visiting this week. Daniel will be 2 on the 27th.

Daniel did not want to get off his bike after picking it out in the store. He sat on it and and rode it in the store. I carried him out of the store on his bike, he rode it to the car in the rain, ate dinner kneeling on it at the table while wearing his helmet,and had breakfast while riding it. It finally made its way outside. I think he likes the bike...

Tom Davis Formula update....

2009-05-08T09:13:00.001-07:00

May 08, 2009
URGENT NEED: Forumla Needed for Malnourished Babies in Ethiopia

UPDATE: YOU DID IT! We raised all $12,500 as of this morning. Thanks to everyone who made this happen. We'll keep this post up for now and send you additional details on this project. Thank you Thank you! We can now provide 400 cans of Nutramigen to malnourished babies in Ethiopia.

$3,000 raised in one day!

2009-05-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

I am happy to report that the Tom Davis Formula Fund raised $3,000 in one day! Every single donation helps and adds up. Please continue to pray and donate. We can make a difference.

You can help make a difference...

2009-05-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

Hello to all,
In April of 2007 we started all of the paper work and the process of adopting from Ethiopia. In December of 2007 we sent in our dossier and the wait for a referral began. We knew that in God's Time we would receive our referral, for the child God had chosen for our family. On July 18th we received these two photos of our son.

His name was Fitsum Daniel he was born on May 27th, 2007. He went to Kid's Care orphanage on March 31st, of 2008 and was transferred to America World's Transition Home on June 10th of 2008. After reviewing his file and seeing his pictures, we knew he was perfect for our family. Daniel remained in the Transition Home until November 4th of 2008. While Daniel was at the orphanage and transition home, he was loved on and taken care of. They do the best they can, given the circumstances in Ethiopia. We had to wait until the courts re-opened and we could pass court in October before we could travel. We passed court on October the 16th and we left for Ethiopia on November 1st. We met Daniel for the first time on November 3rd, and picked him up for good on November the 4th. Here are a few pictures of meeting him.

We spent a week in Ethiopia, what we saw and experienced changed our hearts for ever. I believe that we left a piece of our heart in Ethiopia. There is so much need in Ethiopia. I would love to adopt again, Tom would love to make a difference and help in a bigger scale. Here are a few pictures of what we saw in Ethiopia.

I can't find the words to share with you all that we experienced in Ethiopia. The people were amazing. They truly love their people and others. We were treated so well. The poverty was heart breaking. We saw people out begging for food, sleeping on the streets, and living in little huts. It really make you stop and think how good we have it. I can't imagine being a parent and not being able to provide for your child or children. There are millions of babies being relinquished or abandoned daily. There parents simply can't take care of them. These babies are coming into the orphanage or transition home extremely malnourished. There are babies that are weighing in at 7 pounds at 6 months old. They are in need of special formula and there is a way you can help. Daniel was healthy when we took him to the doctor in the US. He had a few minor problems and was the size of a 12 month old at 17 months. He is extremely healthy now and has grown about 3 inches and gained about 3 pounds. he has been home for 6 months. Please check out the following link and find it in your heart to pray and help make a difference.
One person can make a difference.

http://tinyurl.com/ccwuur

Written by Tom Davis
May 04, 2009
URGENT NEED: Forumla Needed for Malnourished Babies in Ethiopia

Famine and poverty are increasing the rates of malnourished infant babies in Ethiopia. Children's HopeChest has worked with the America World Adoption Agency (AWAA) on projects in Ethiopia and Russia over the past five years. This request came to us from their transition home where they are receiving severely malnourished babies into their care. This month, in honor of mother's day, I want to raise $12,500 to provide specialized baby formula to this transition home for these malnourished babies.
Please pray and help us make a difference.

6- months since Gotcha Ya!

2009-05-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

Six months ago today we went to the transition home and picked up Daniel. He has been with us since then. It has been a wonderful 6 months of not consistent sleep, but we have the rest of our lives for that (right?).

Look how big Daniel thinks he is... I can ride a scooter.

Look who is mad because he isn't big enough to ride the scooter in the road.

Reddi Whip who told Daniel that you don't need pie, just open your mouth...

Daniel opens the fridge, gets out the Reddi Whip, opens his mouth, and makes the sound the can would being sprayed... Then yells "Please"!

I can tell you that there isn't a dull moment in our house.

This is what he looked like 6 months ago...

Daniel at 23 months old!

2009-04-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

Today Daniel is 23 months old. In some ways he is definitely showing signs of being 2 already. This weekend was filled with beautiful sunshine and hot temps. We had 3 soccer games. Daniel wore his first swim suit and played in the sprinkler for the first time. Today we went to story time and sent the kids back to school. We had a great spring break last week.

Easter Morning

2009-04-12T13:15:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter. We started out with the kids waking up to string all over the house. The Easter Bunny tied a different color of string each Easter basket. The string went from the basket wound all over the house to a tag taped to the banister. The kids found their name tags, followed their strings around to where the basket was hidden. Daniel found his in the play pen, Benjamin found his in the dryer, Michael in the computer desk cabinet, and Allison had her hidden in the garage refrigerator. We then had breakfast and headed off to church. The music was beautiful and the sermon was very touching. We then came home and hosted another family from church for Easter Lunch. The kids then had an Easter Egg Hunt. It was nice and cold out for the egg hunt. Happy Easter everyone.

Daniel' s trip to the photographer

2009-04-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

I took Daniel in for pictures a couple of weeks ago... they tried to get him to do their thing, he decided to do his own. We did get some good pictures! I can't believe how fast he is growing before our eyes. Tomorrow we will enjoy our first Easter with him. Happy Easter everyone.

One busy Sunday!

2009-04-08T04:35:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, we started out with church, a quick lunch, an ice skating birthday party for the whole family, shopping, out to dinner, and coloring Easter Eggs. Daniel had his first experience of ice skating, he made it around the rink once on his feet holding on to my hands. The rest of the time he sat on a 5 gallon bucket and let Allison push him around on it. He was really mad when we took his skates off of him. Daniel also colored his first Easter eggs. He saw no reason to be careful dipping the eggs, or with the eggs. He would bang them on the table, drop them, etc. He was the first one to eat an egg, and he ate the whole thing. We had a great day.
Today marks 5 months of Daniel being home. He has come so far. He loves our dog. He is still timid around other animals though. He is also terrified of the Easter bunny at the mall. He has grown 3 inches and gained 3 pounds. He is a sponge and is speaking more every day. We still have some sleep issues. It seems so random, some nights he sleeps through others he wakes 3-4 times. Most of the time we just pat him back down. We are working on sleep. Everything else is going good. We are entering the definite toddler stage, he will be 2 next month.

Wow, it's been a long time!

2009-03-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

Wow it has been a while since I blogged...
Well this weekend we had 11 kindergartners over for a 6 year old science birthday party. We handed out lab coats and goggles, and Tom amazed the kids with experiments. We had lunch, cupcakes, and an Easter Egg hunt. A good time was had by all. I can't believe that Benjamin is 6!

Daniel is doing great! He weighed in at 24 pounds today, he has gained 3 pounds and grown inches. The Doctor is amazed at how well he is doing and how perfect he fits our family. We love him so much! He thinks that he is every bit as big as the other kids. He has gotten a taste of playing outside with the few warm days that we have had. He now stands by the door, begging to go outside and play. He love climbing the play set and going down the slide, he also loves his swing. He loves kicking, throwing, or just holding a ball. He is a very happy, social, loving little boy.

I can't believe that he has been home almost 5 months. We will be able to re-adopt him in the US then end of May to early June.

Sleeping beauty?

2009-02-26T07:40:00.001-08:00

Look who fell asleep eating grilled cheese and tomato soup on sunday!

Another plane trip...

2009-02-22T18:22:00.000-08:00

This map shows all of the states the Daniel has been in since arriving in the US on November 8th of 2008. He has also been in Ethiopia, and Rome. I would say that this little guy is a world traveler.

This last week we had planned on traveling to Arizona to see Grandma DJ. She has been on hospice since November for cancer. We got the call on Monday that she had taken a turn for the worse and we may not make it. Tom called the airlines to see if we could leave a day early. He asked me how quick I could have 6 of us ready to go. I had started the packing already, but was no where near ready... I told him 20 minutes. We were out the door in 30 minutes. We arrived in Arizona (Tucson) at 3:15 am. We slept a few hours and headed over to see Tom's mom. She was unable to communicate with us, but I think that she could hear us. We spent the morning with her and then took the kids to the zoo (a much needed break for them). Hospice then called us back to the house. We visited a little more and then Tom took the kids and I back to the hotel. He returned to be with his mom. With in minutes of his return she passed away. This has been a tough year as Tom has lost both of his parents and the kids have lost 3 grandparents. We planned her memorial service and attended that. We were also able to take the kids over to a mountain. Tom took Allison, Michael, and Benjamin on a nice long hike up the mountain. Benjamin (who will be 6 next month was the one who kept pushing them to climb higher). Daniel and I hung out only a little ways up.

Here are some pictures of the good times we had in Arizona.

Celebrating three months....

2009-02-04T08:23:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrate three months since gotcha day! We took Daniel into our arms 3 months ago today and walked out the door of the Transition Home with him. Just look at how much he has changed since our referral pictures in July. We love him so much and he is such a blessing to our family. We could use good sleep at night, but that will come.

July (referral and traveling family pictures)

August (August Update and traveling family picture)

September (Our September Update)

October (these are our October Update Pictures)

November (Our time with Daniel in Ethiopia)

November (Daniel's home coming)

December (home 1 month)

January (2 months home)

February (3 months from Gotcha Day)

The Long Weekend!

2009-02-03T06:04:00.001-08:00

On Saturday, Tom left to take Michael to his basketball game, about 40 minutes later I tried to take Allison to her basketball game. Both games were in different cities and not ours. Well as I started backing out of the drive, I got stuck in the snow and ice. The more I tried to get out, the worse I got stuck. Thankfully a neighbor took Allison to meet Tom, so that he could get her to her game. Michael then stayed and watched the neighbors basketball game and then they brought him home. I called AAA for help. They came out and looked at our drive and told us we were on our own. They could could not help us. Daniel and I worked for an hour, the van was just stuck. When Tom got home we worked for over another hour, sand, salt, digging.... nothing was working. I got it stuck good. (Thank goodness Tom was not home when I got stuck or the car would have been blocked in the garage). It was really cold and dark out, so at this time we decided to call it a night. We will deal with it in the morning.

Well Daniel is having a really restless night. At 12:30 we give him Tylenol, and I decide to lay down with him in the guest bed until the Tylenol kicks in. It is after 1:00 and he is still restless. At 1:20 he sits up, crawls forward and puts his head back down. He misses the pillow and hits the bookcase headboard. I immediately grab him and turn the light on.... there is blood all over his face and all around his eye. After cleaning him up we see that he has split his head right on the right eye brow. So it is off to the Emergency Room. The van is still stuck. We can't fit everyone in the car, so we leave Allison with the boys. We head to the Emergency Room! We had a terrific nurse and a great pediatric doctor. Daniel got three stitches on his right eye brow. We got back home at 3:30.

On Sunday, after about 3 1/2 hours of working and neighbors helping we finally got the van out. We even made it to a friends house for a Super Bowl Party. Yes, all of my boys are happy that the Steelers won.

Daniel had an ear infection that had not gone away, that is why he was so restless. He is now on a different antibiotic. He goes Friday to get his stitches out.

More pictures

2009-01-28T11:36:00.000-08:00

One of Daniel's favorite things is to play piano with his big sister Allison!

Daniel finally likes his stuffed lion that we took him to Ethiopia. It has taken him over two months to not be scared of it!

A snowy day!

2009-01-28T08:01:00.000-08:00

Today the kids are having another snow day! I think that this makes June 18th our last day of school, if we have no more snow days! Yikes!

Another busy week!

2009-01-17T05:21:00.000-08:00

This week we went to the Social Security Office to get Daniel a social security card. We filled out all of the paperwork and now just wait. We should receive his card within a week to 10 days. His card will say Fitsum Thomas Laughner and will have alien status associated with it. After we re-adopt, we will need to go back and get the alien status removed and get his name changed on it. After the re-adoption it will say Daniel Fitsum Laughner.

Daniel also had his first haircut since he has been home. I took him and he did great until they got the small clippers out to trim around his ears. e did not like that. His hair is a little shorter than I would have it cut again, but it will grow.

Here are some pictures of how busy our boy is.

Daniel just received this puzzle stool with his name in the mail from our friends the Kent's. It was a welcome home gift. Daniel loves sitting on it, carrying it around, pushing it, and doing the puzzle. He loves his stool.

Daniel thinks that he should be able to do anything that the other kids do. He should be able to take their back pack and go to school too!

Future Quarterbacks

2009-01-12T11:59:00.000-08:00

Daniel is doing great! The last couple of nights he has only woke up once. He also went to the church nursery for the first time! He did great! He has also been going to story time at our library. He loves it. He is Mr. Social everywhere we go.
I can't believe how much he has grown and changed in two months.

Daniel plays in the snow!

2009-01-08T13:37:00.000-08:00