Our Girl is Two!

This week my baby girl turned two years old. When we first laid eyes on our daughter she looks so much like she does today...if only we knew who God was giving us.

The first time I laid eyes on her.
Only love...


We celebrated her first birthday only 3 weeks after we came home. My poor baby never had a cupcake in her life. But she loved it!


All chunks and rolls. And sugar.


I think she liked it. Only 2 teeth on her first birthday.

Thursday morning before I got her out of bed, I heard her talking Judah's ear off [per the norm]. The first word I heard her squeal was "MINE". Her first word on her second birthday. Of course.

In celebration of her birthday and life, here are a few things that make our little girl exactly who we love and who exasperates us daily...

  • My favorite words she says these days are: "wa-wee" [water] which she seemingly drinks by the gallon, something that resembles "here ya are, mommy", and "daddy's silly". Totally endearing.
  • She just as enthusiastically will tell her brother [or her parents, truth be told!], "[s]top it!" Lord, have mercy.
  • Playfully yet filled with unknown authority, Addise will point her finger at anything breathing and exclaim, "jeeba boba gee...". Or something like that. We have no idea what she's saying but she's preaching it. That is for sure.
  • Though fearless in situations she should have fear, she's terrified by an stray fuzzy on her hand. 
  • She's still topping the height and weight charts. She's venturing into 3T clothes as a new 2 year old. 
  • She kisses daddy profusely, even without request. And when I ask for a kiss, she'll often give it to her daddy instead and giggle in defiance at my desperate plea.
  • Addise loves lifting her solid body off the ground - jumping up and down over and over again. She thinks she's quite funny and clever.
  • She's drama for her momma - passionately crying for a little "owie", shedding crocodile tears when her feelings get hurt, and doubling-over in laughter at the silliest trick.
  • We tried for about 24 hours to potty train our smarty pants and she wouldn't have it. She was content peeing down her leg and standing in her own urine pool. Unashamed. Uninterested in sitting on her potty chair, unless she was fully clothed. 
  • She's also very intrigued by all her arms can accomplish, mainly hitting and throwing. She prefers to hit her brother for any reason [unacceptable and results "trouble"] and throwing her toys across the room [same result as above].
  • Perhaps my favorite and best descriptor of my girl is the common scene of her running laps around our living room/kitchen in her pink, bedazzled, costume shoes roaring like a lion. Take a moment to fully imagine that scene.

She is truly sugar and spice. Recently the word "FIERCE" has been used to describe her personality. I couldn't agree more.

Yet, in all things adoption, on her birthday I couldn't help but to think of the woman who gave birth to our daughter. Forever I am grateful that she bore Addise Aster Tarike into this world. As I carry our second son today, I also wonder about Addise's 9 months in the womb, her birth, and first months in this world. Though I can never fully understand her birth mother's sacrifice or Addise's story before God brought her to us, I stand in wonder at this amazing little girl and our redemptive God who gave her to us.

Happy Birthday, Addise! We adore you.
We love you with an everlasting love for all you are 
and all you bring to our lives.
Captured on Balboa Pier


3 Comments

April L. Diaz

April has been a visionary activist her entire life. She has made it her mission to lead high performing teams and develop leaders in the margins of society while caring for our bodies, mind, and spirit. Secretly, she’s a mix of a total girly girl and a tomboy, and is still crazy about her high school sweetheart, Brian. Together, they co-parent 3 fabulous kiddos and live in Orange County, CA.

Halloween - a little monkey and a lion

Our kids celebrated their first American Halloween in-style this year. We joined some friends and their 3 kids so they could show our Ethiopians the trick-or-treating ropes. The entire extravaganza only lasted about 1 hour, and it was mostly successful [minus the creepy 8-year-old boy slinking around in a skeleton costume who scared the living daylights out of Judah...enter momma bear. I almost beat the crap out of that kid...and his parents]. Enjoy some pictures of our cutest little monkey and lion...

This little monkey was equally stoked about her costume
and confused about why we kept insisting she make monkey noises.
Judah the Lion [cliche but it really had to happen] and his buddy "Greg" from In 'n Out. Hehe.
A little pre-game warm-up.
Halloween in SoCal = Sandled feet.
Can we all say together, "DADDY'S GIRL!" 
He made a mean "ROAR!" all night.
Judah the Lion also insisted in walking inside every stranger's house when they gave him candy. No bueno. He did a great job saying, "Trick or treat" and "Thank you" to every good neighbor.
She's one happy monkey with a blue headband.
Being pushed around the neighborhood in her own car. She was committed to driving.
This was also the point in the trick-or-treating where she just got real tired and must've wondered, "What are these crazy Americans doing?!"
First family Halloween photo.


Since we don't give our kiddos candy, Brian and I immediately divided the spoils between the two of us. Hehe. We saved back a few items as potty rewards for our yet-to-be-potty-train son.

All in all, a very fun first Halloween as a family.

2 Comments

April L. Diaz

April has been a visionary activist her entire life. She has made it her mission to lead high performing teams and develop leaders in the margins of society while caring for our bodies, mind, and spirit. Secretly, she’s a mix of a total girly girl and a tomboy, and is still crazy about her high school sweetheart, Brian. Together, they co-parent 3 fabulous kiddos and live in Orange County, CA.

Little Moments in October

This month has been filled with little moments with our kiddos. Moments I'll likely forget by winter but want to remember long after they go to school. Here are a few snapshots that capture the essence of our two Ethiopian beauties...
Football Saturdays: our kids are dressed in their Illini gear and enjoying a little Disney movie time while the grown-ups watch football!


Judah loves playing with bubbles. Not so much blowing them but spilling them everywhere. Focused. Detail-oriented. Specific. This is Judah. Those shoes he calls "foofa shoes" because they remind him of "Yo Gabba Gabba".


Typical Addise: silly, overly expressive, sticking her booty out, open-mouth smile.


She's started folding her hands. I don't understand why but she makes me laugh!


After his nap, Judah likes to tuck in Big Toe for his nap. Judah is the sweetest boy!


Bath bubbles are a daily favorite. "Judah help you" is one of his most used new phrases!


Her curls are multiplying as does her bath time exuberance.


This little guy begins and ends his day reading. This is a fairy tale book "gamm-ma" bought for him.


This lasts about 14 seconds. Here she's learning Spanish and English. She's been laying on her belly a lot these days and it makes me chuckle.


20 months old at her 18 month doctor appointment.  She's 31 lbs [95%] and 34" [92%]. She's our giant beast.


Mommy-Daughter grocery run. Yes, I'm feeding her lunch at the store. Totally ghetto but she loved the string cheese we eventually purchased and the deli meat. Those stickers on her dress are from braving her 2 immunizations that day.


Wide-eyed wonder at a birthday party with balloons. It was Judah's first time at a bounce house and he happily played forever.


Even in the hard days, these are the days I want to remember. 

1 Comment

April L. Diaz

April has been a visionary activist her entire life. She has made it her mission to lead high performing teams and develop leaders in the margins of society while caring for our bodies, mind, and spirit. Secretly, she’s a mix of a total girly girl and a tomboy, and is still crazy about her high school sweetheart, Brian. Together, they co-parent 3 fabulous kiddos and live in Orange County, CA.