Africa update!

Hello everyone!
We've only been able to send short quick emails so far, so I thought I'd
try to give a few more details today. Everything is going really well. The first
few days we struggled a bit with jet lag, missing the boys, etc. But now we have
Sophie and Micah with us and we are loving it! They were SO shy the first night we
had them – they wouldn't move without being picked up, and they wouldn't make a
sound. The next morning they livened right up and now they are laughing, talking,
playing, counting (in English!). They have really latched onto us and love to
snuggle and give kisses. They had a nice warm bath this morning and they loved
it! As the tub filled up and they saw the steam rising from it, they just smiled
and laughed – they were so excited! I have attached a few pictures of them –
hopefully I can get them to go thru!
The first few days we were here, we went down to Sodo, where they grew up.
It was a long, treacherous 5+ hour drive – the road was actually pretty good but
there wasn't 200 yards of the road that didn't have people, goats, burros, wagons,
etc. right in the middle! It was so crazy! Our driver drove really fast and would
swerve around all the obstacles and honk his horn at least once every ten seconds!
Once we got there, we stayed at a hotel that was actually fairly nice, but the bed
was like concrete! We were so tired and miserable and we just wanted to go back to
Addis and be with our kids. The next morning we were able to visit the orphanage
where our kids were first, and then we met their birth mother – that made the trip
all worth it. It was amazing – we got so many pictures, videos and great
information from her (i.e. Sophie was born first!). She took us out close to where
her village is (we weren't allowed to go all the way there) – it was so beautiful
and sooo green. That is one thing that I didn't expect about Ethiopia – it is
mountainous, beautiful, lush and green. There are people walking everywhere, very
few people have cars. The city of Addis Ababa is HUGE and sprawling – modern high
rise buildings right next to groups of metal shacks, it's crazy!
Today we go to the US Embassy for our final approval – the last hoop to
jump thru! Say a prayer for us that all goes well there! After the embassy, we are
going down to a smaller town called Nazret to visit another orphanage. I can't wait
to get home and show everyone all the great things we have been able to do with all
of your generous donations! It's been really amazing!
We hope all is well at home. We will be home on Sunday morning. We are
really enjoying our time here, and learning about this country, but we are excited
to get home and start our lives with our big new family!
Take care!
Love,
Kevin & Kelly