Rain Rain -please go to Ethiopia and stop following me.

Ethiopia is not getting the rain it needs and here it's been a gloomy summer so far. I am hopeful that we can all make wishes to send it their way. If there's one thing I hate it's rain-and well-Ethiopia needs it- so how nice would it be if we could just send it their way. After all-they must be getting tired of the electricty and water rotations.

It feels like the rain is following me. When I was in Ethiopia- it rained- when I came home- it rained here and stopped there. BUUZZZOOO ZENAB.. UGHGHG.

Perhaps If I go back to Ethiopia -the rain will follow me back??? Laugh.

Still waiting for our few weeks of summer to arrive.

Another week- from Habtamu

This week I started going to school. I can't figure out what days I go and what days I do not. Some mornings daddy wakes me up- hurries me through breakfast and we run out to his work car, then other days- like today-I wake up on my own and we've been up for hours but I'm still in my pajamas. I keep reminding them that we are still in our pajamas and they seem excited about this-so weird.

In school they let me get dirty, mom and dad like to take my clothes off when they know I'm going to get dirty. At school they have a bike and I can get dirty with my clothes on- it's lots of fun. To get dirty-I put my hands in this colorful liquid they call "paint" and smeared it all over my clothes-Mommy and daddy didn't send me with extra clothing so I thought for sure I was going to be in "trouble" when they picked me up. Thank goodness it was mommy that got me- she just laughed it off.

I love Elmo-but Mr. Noodle is strange- mom keeps saying something about if he was around in real life he wouldn't be allowed near us- not sure what she means. When I arrived in America grandpa gave me a balloon with Mickey on it. We went to AC's house a lot this weekend and she showed me who he was- on this show called "Mickey's playhouse". Daddy's been singing songs about "hot dogs" since we watched it. My Aunt F kept saying she lives with Mickey. I'm a little confused about these americans - Aunt F lives with Mickey and my Grandma "football" lives with a moose - and I live with a lion.

Mom's no longer walking with those big sticks-but is still having some difficulty. Can't wait until she can run and play again- she will run and play again right???? I got a new car seat this week- it seems each week I get a new seat in the car- first it was a baby seat, then a big kids seat-the big kids seat kept slipping out from under me- so mom and I went to this huge store with lot's of babies crying in it- and got a seat that is not a baby seat and not a big kid seat- then mom had us stand in a "parking lot" - this place where there are lots of cars we can't touch or get into- for an hour in the rain- while she tried to "make me more safe". The entire time- she left Cako in the cart and asked me "not to help". Sometimes- she's really stubborn and refuses my help-but other times she really wants it- wish I could figure out when to help and when not to.

Oh- and I visited the man who likes to put his hands in my mouth again this week. He removed another tooth. If I keep visiting him- I'm not going to have any teeth left??? I've decided I don't like this man.

We had a bird in our house yesterday. First a Lion, then a bird- it was flying around and daddy isn't sure how it got it- and he chased it around to get it out. Funny that the lion didn't notice the bird- and wasn't alarmed by daddy running around. Does this mean that this is regular behavior for him? I'll let you know-but daddy running around in circles was very funny- so I'm not sure how Geneva wasn't excited by this. This Lion sleeps a lot.

Kako has learned the word- up this week. It's the only thing she says that they seem to understand her saying. Mom get's very excited when she says it. So- she's saying it a lot.. ughh.

Well, I hear we are going to visit my cousin T with his family for a party- I should go and remind them that we are still in our pajamas- just incase.

Have a great day- Habtamu

When it rains it pours I think goes the saying-

When it rains it pours I think goes the saying-
The VW - check engine light came on the other day on our way to visit our family, the station wagon needs new tires and the inspection on it was rejected, the water heater broke, I'm still reparing from an injury- although the aircast is better than crutches, Denis has been treated for parisites and Habtamu had a tooth pulled and the letter from his doctor is lost so in order to stay in preschool we need to chase down a new one to be signed and Debritu is now (that the doctor's appointments have quieted down) is showing signs of ringworm on her scalp- and we need to go back- laugh. So the excitement here at the calderone house is never ending these days- but we're still holding our heads high- we're just a little less showered. Laugh. The kids are keeping the giggles coming and the life is as always- an adventure...

Funny Habtamu update- looking out the window on Sunday- He comes and grabs me- Mommy mommy- look "Singero"... Lots and lots of Monkeys he says.... as he giggles with joy. I look out the window to see a family of squirrels hopping about.

Habtamu and the Petting Zoo

On Mother's day we went to the zoo. We ended our visit at the zoo with some time at the petting zoo. Most of the children at the zoo were walking up to the sheep, goats and other animals faces to ohhh and awwhh over how sweet looking they are-etc. Not Habtamu. He walked up to the sheeps and goats buttocks and grabbed their hind ends to see how fat they were. I was laughing hysterically and he'd turn and look and me- and then go to the next "beg" - sheep. I looked around at the other parents and nobody seemed to notice my son's "selection" process-and I was bent over with laughter. Habtamu was ending his day at the zoo- by selecting our DINNER.... Ethiopian Style-laugh.

Attached our pictures of Habtamu with the beg we purchased for the second Easter (or close to) before we departed Ethiopia this year.

Sofomar, Mud and sleeping in a Village

While travelling this year in Ethiopia we visited the SofoMar Caves. We spent 3 days on gravel roads and when we finally arrives- we got our truck got stuck in the mud- and it took us all day to get it out.

To celebrate- we bought a goat- spent the night with the people from Sofo Mar and enjoyed a wonderful evening of exploring the caves- swimming and a night partying.
This is an amazing story that with newly caring for the kids- I just don't have the time to tell properly. But the kindness of Ethiopians and the amazing love they show one another is the constant I find when I travel in Ethiopia. Again- this is an example of people celebrating life- as they spent their day helping Eldana and I and our driver remove our car from the muddy ground- in the Sofo Mar caves. Sofo Mar is disputedly the largest limestone cave system in all of Africa- it's gorgeous and beautiful- almost as beautiful as the people who had unexpected visitors in their village.

(they cared for us as if we were family or honored guests-and although they have visitors that come to see the cave system- we were the first in a long time- to spend the night). We slept in a house and they slept outside with guns to protect us and the truck. Ethiopia is always interesting- and never boring-laugh.

A note from Habtamu

Hi Everyone,
My mom's been really busy learning how to take care of us-so I thought I'd write an entry telling you about my new life in America.

We arrived 1 month ago and here are some of the things I've noticed:
The lion we live with - likes to sleep in the corner or what ever room my mom is in. She's really soft to touch. One day a week she leaves with dad and comes home with her-mom says she goes to school. Her breath stinks and I'm the same height as her- she's a little taller-but otherwise we're getting along great, we even sometimes play together. It's still strange that these American's all seem to live with a lion- my new neighbors have one too. Mom calls that one a baby and she's bigger than our lion so-I guess Kako and I are lucky.

I have to pay a lot more attention to my teeth now- I am no longer the one that brushes them- mom and dad do- mostly dad (he's better at it) and we go see this guy once a week who likes to stick his fingers in my mouth and hurt me. I notice when he hurts me that daddy is home. In fact - everytime somebody they call a "doctor" hurts me- Daddy does this thing he calls "work from home". He's in the house someplace and comes out when mommy yells- "denis can you _____". He seems very attentive. If I'm not going to be hurt by one of these "doctors" daddy leaves in his "work" car and comes home to put us to bed.

Speaking of Bed- mom seems to disapear when it's bed time-she's home but not with us. She seems to. At night we sit in this big bowl of warm water- Kako and I - with some toys- and then we get into new clothes that are for sleeping in- and then we go read books and go to bed.

The other day- mom and dad filled the basement living space with a bunch of water - then used the towels we use after our baths- and a big noisy machine to clean it up- while they were playing in the water mommy fell down and now she's walking on these funny metal sticks and has something on her leg. She is no longer coming up stairs or down and we spend all of our time on the main floor of the house. The best part- I hear her asking on the phone for people to come over- and I love company and talking about a water heater.

We have done many things since being in America- we've been to friends and families homes. I'm surprised at how many showers are in America. I like it when mom drives the little car to our friends house because that car has better music. Dad's car's music is trash. It's this guy that talks a lot. They talk about other cars on the radio in mom's big car (traffic report she calls it)- but the the little car- that one plays my music-mostly in Amharic.

The food in America is borring. Mom keeps putting green things in front of me- not sure what they are- but they all taste bad. Sometimes she remembers to put berbere in our food-but mostly not. She'll learn. I have discovered a couple of wonderful things. Chicken nuggets shaped like Dinosours. Apparently these Dinosours lived here first and now we eat them for lunch. There's this orange pasta that's pretty good too. Our neighbor came over the other day and made them for us- but she put the green things in it too- not sure what's up with the green things.

I am starting school next week. I'm very excited to be doing this-although I don't know what "this" is.

Ohhh- one more thing and then I have to g0- kako is playing with one of my toys and I must stop her. people here are obsessed with poop. first mom collected kako's poop, then she started collecting mine. When we walk the dog she also collects Geneva's. Then the other day daddy came home and he is is collecting his poop. it's very strange indeed.

So my new family is funny and america is odd-with it's many bathrooms, poop fetish, and bland food but I'm safe, happy and although mom and dad are a little strange-they seem to love us very much.

Back to training my mom how to play- laugh...