Meilo and Lan

Meilo came home from Ethiopia through CHI in May. She lives a street over and is Lan's little friend. She came over to pick up Lan today to help her walk the shortcut to her house so Lan's leg wouldn't have to work so hard going the long way. As Lan was putting on her leg and shoes to go, she looked at Meilo and said, "You are a good friend. I am so happy to have you be my friend!"

Before they left I went to the fotki site and opened the Ethiopia folder. Her English is good enough now that I can ask her questions and she can answer. I went through all the children on the site and some new pictures Darlene just sent me and Meilo was able to tell me about her friends. She would get excited and tell me things about the children she knew. She knew Meklit, Darlene's little girl and said she was "funny girl". She told me that she would hold the baby boy we have listed on fotki. She said she would hold him and made a rocking motion. She said that it would make him laugh and he was "happy boy". When she saw the baby girl and her brother we are trying to place, she got a BIG smile and repeated excitedly, "So cute! So cute!! So cute! I like her" She was able to identify some of the older girls too.

She showed me which aunties would do her hair, and that she slept on the top bunk, and told me about where they would eat. She kept saying, "That MY house. That MY house."

We will have some more files ready soon. They are being completed now. We are excited to meet more children! But please don't forget the ones that we have already waiting:

www.fotki.com/CHIWaitingkids, Ethiopia folder, password (contact me and I'll give that to you).

Yep, Caden's arm in his sling..

They sent Caden home in this sling and told us in the ER on Friday that we could keep it. Thank you! I'm SURE we will need it again so we'll keep it in good storage.

Thank heavens for the pamidronate IV drip he gets at Shriner's Hospital every four months. I tell ya, he just likes to push the limits and be a regular boy. The latest trip on Friday was for a hurt shoulder. He was pushed down while playing FOOTBALL! He is at the new school and the play ground teachers realized as soon as he was hurt that HE is the boy they can't let play these contact sports on the playground. Luckily the x-rays showed no break or crack. We sent a big note to school this morning from the doctor that states, "NO CONTACT SPORTS ALLOWED". I imagine the teachers will be more careful watching him, at least for a week or so.

This follows that last two visits to the ER we had in the last 6 weeks. The first was when he decided to jump off of Robert's top bunk and landed ribs first on the wooden footboard of his bed. No broken bones. I was sure a rib or two would be shattered like the glass his bones are like. Then about 3 weeks ago he knocked a picture off the wall and crawled up on his dresser to put it back up and did a front flip off the dresser! Thankfully no broken bones then either.

I know how you felt trying to keep him safe. He just acts without thinking through the danger. He goes again 9/24 for his next round of pamidronate and by golly, we gotta have that stuff!

Caden gets baptized and Ammon gets a name blessing

Saturday was a big day for the youngest two Ellison boys. Caden was baptized and Ammon had his name blessing. Generally name blessings are given for infants and soon after children are adopted by their parents. But, we needed to give Ammon some time to be "mature" enough to cooperate. I'm sure you can guess what we mean. All in all it went well.

Other than Ammon and Caden in a fistacuffs during our family's musical performance named "Love at Home" (yes, guess we need to work on more love at our home) and Ammon yelling to Caden in the baptismal font, "Hi Caden! Hi! Hi! Caden bath tub! Squeal. Ammon bath tub. Ammon turn!" No, not his turn and he stayed high and dry. PHEW!

You would never know that Caden almost missed his baptism due to what we thought was a broken shoulder from a football induced fall on Friday at school. Just a sprain....no breaks for cracks. We left his sling off for the photos but it went back on after. I'm sure this won't be the last time we need that sling.