Two years ago we recieved our referall. Here is the video we made of the first time we saw our son!

Butterfly

We recently found three caterpillars. Today one of them hatched. We're still waiting on the other two! Here are some pictures from it! Nataga LOVED it!

The boys watching it's wings dry and warm up in the sun!

Nataga is telling it to "fly away" and saying goodbye!

Three

Nati is 3!

All twisted

  

I saw picture of a friends child where she had twisted his hair, he looked great! He is younger than Nati so I thought I'd give it a go and see if I could do it! I think it looks pretty cute. Can't wait to do it more often and get it looking even better!

Emergency Relief Campaign

Watch this short video in which Ethiopian supermodel and humanitarian, Liya Kebede, urges people to engage with and donate through Glimmer’s Emergency Relief Campaign to help save lives in Ethiopia.

Click to View Video

Your Dollars Hard At Work

Thanks to your generosity, care and efforts, Glimmer’s Emergency Relief Campaign has already raised more than $430,000. And counting.

The first $200,000 was sent to two partners, Save the Children and GOAL, working in the Dolo Ado camps on the Ethiopian border with Somalia, serving Somali refugees who had made the long walk in hope of food, water, medical care and shelter.

Save the Children used $100,000 to fund nutrition programs as well as services focused on the children. The nutrition programs targeted children as well as pregnant and lactating mothers while the child-related programs provide supervised child-friendly spaces, family tracing and reunification, as well as interim care for children without parents. We also funded mats, blankets, educational materials, water storage, water trucking and first aid kits.

GOAL used $100,000 to purchase and distribute non-food items, and focused on purchasing “emergency shelter kits” which included jerry cans, soap, blankets, sheets, sleeping mats, pots, jugs, cups and other essential household items. Such basic items allowed these women and children the supplies and materials for them to store and prepare food to eat – and sleep more comfortably at night.

What's Next?

The second phase of Glimmer’s relief efforts is directed at Ethiopians living in remote rural areas in Somali in the eastern parts of Ethiopia - to help those in desperate need of food, water and medical care.

Glimmer has sent a further $200,000 to our NGO relief partners operating in eastern Ethiopia, to help vulnerable families and acutely malnourished children living in the hardest-hit, drought-stricken Somali region of Ethiopia.

The first $100,000 has gone to Mercy Corp. These funds will help two mobile health teams in the Somali region for an additional two months to provide vaccinations, medical check-ups and fortified food to pregnant women and children under five.

A further $100,000 was sent to Save the Children to truck water to people and purify water in other hard-hit areas in the southern part of the Somali region of Ethiopia. It will also provide food to acutely malnourished children, people living with HIV/AIDS, as well as those who have been displaced.

Photos From the Field

This video below shows photos from our partners, on the ground, both in the Dolo Ado camps, as well as in other parts of Ethiopia, showing the women and children who have been directly helped by way of your generosity and those that have joined us on this Campaign. Please take a minute to see the results of your care and support – a few pictures speak a thousand words.

CLICK TO VIEW SLIDESHOW

Together we are saving lives.

Thank you for all you do to continue to support Glimmer and those in need in Ethiopia!

To learn more about the Campaign, and how you can help, visit Glimmer’s website: http://www.aglimmerofhope.org/emergency-relief

Nataga meets Steven Curis Chapman

 AND grandpa found him a carousel to ride. He'd been talking about ridding on one and grandpa delivered! :)

New Swingset and a stray

 I had some friends give Nati money (for Nati's birthday) to put towards buying a swing set. Our subdivision does not have anything for kids and they knew we'd been looking for something to wear him out a little :)! Little did they know the exact amount they gave us would buy us a swing set. We looked through our local classifieds and saw all sorts of swing sets listed for $60 and up at the bottom of the page we saw this one! It was the right price and actually fit in our car once disassembled. Thanks so much! What a great birthday gift!

Stray photo that is... this one was supposed to post with the "family" post but for whatever reason it posted here!

Pop Rocks- Rock

 Pop rocks!

  Good till they are gone!

And maybe even still good after they are gone ;)!

 Bowling with daddy!

Family fun night with Daddy's work

Family visit

 The boys have a new baby cousin. Another boy in the family.

 We went swimming w/grandparents!

Photo Friday

Fun at the water park!

Brothers!

 

Every time I see these two interact my heart skips a beat. They are so cute together and adore each other. Cole can’t wait to be just like Nataga! Nataga thinks Cole is the best thing since peanut butter. They are two peas in a pod. Nataga’s name means “gift of God” and Coles name means “precious son”. I know both boys are precious gifts from God. I can’t imagine life without either of them, they are awesome. I think God daily for them, the wonderful gift of adoption, and the ability to have a biological child. Nothing is greater than being their mom and I am enjoying every second. My heart breaks to know that Nataga’s parents are gone and will never get to know this sweet child. BUT I’m sure that he is a piece of each of them and I have enjoyed getting to know them more through him. He is amazing and I hope some day our family is blessed with more wonderful children just like these two! If not, these two are more than I’ve ever dreamed about or imagined and I’m happy just to have had them and the moments I’ve got to spend with them.  

It's been a little while...

Yes we're still here! I've got behind on blogging as our two sons keep us very busy! Below are some recent pictures of Nati picking blueberries

Patriots Victory Day

Today is a great day of celebration in Ethiopia – Patriot’s Victory Day! 

Patriots’ Victory Day is commemorated by Ethiopia every May 5th to give respect to the Ethiopian patriots who fought for the independence of their country’s capital, Addis Ababa, in 1941.

Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia made a grand entrance into Addis Ababa on May 5, 1941, to mark the end of the Italian occupation. Selassie had deliberately chosen that date because exactly five years earlier, the Italians had entered the city and initiated a period of occupation that halted Ethiopia's long legacy of sovereignty. However, the intervention of British forces and other Allies, as well as the heroics of Ethiopian patriots, helped preserve Ethiopia's independence. Ever since, Ethiopians have annually commemorated Selassie's famous arrival into the capital.

In Addis Ababa, government leaders, diplomats, patriot associations, and city residents turn out to honor veterans who fought in the resistance movement between 1935 and 1941. A dignitary often lays a wreath before one of the city's monuments commemorating Ethiopia's various military victories. Army brass bands also perform to mark the occasion and many schools and universities take part in the Patriots’ Day celebration as well by holding programs and educational plays for the students to familiarize the history of the holiday. The local government of Ethiopia and the Ethiopians all over the world never fail to celebrate this event in the country’s history.

Nati

I like these pictures as this is what we usually see of Nati now (full of energy and running) he doesn't slow down often!

Happy Easter

 This year.

Last year. He is growing up so fast...


We hope everyone had a HAPPY Easter!!