Posts Tagged ‘mt’

This weekend is mostly work for me, so it was so nice that MT could spend some hours at his uncle and aunt’s place instead of tagging along with me.

We had a special remembrance service at church where we invited the families, that had lost a dear one the last year, to come and be together for an hour of song, prayers, lighting of candles and hope. It was a good service, but not something MT would have had so much use for. He was better off playing with his cousins.

When I got to their house to pick him up and stepped out of the car I looked down on my phone only to find a message from my brother:

Are you coming soon? Dinner is ready!

It was such a sweet and nice surprise. Tasty as well. Thank you so much guys!!

—————————–> What are you thankful for today?

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This is the fifth post in a series of Thankful post for the month of November 2011. I use the prompts from Katrina Kennedy’s November Photo Idea List as a starting off point and find at least one thing I am grateful for each and every day. If you want to play along please share your thoughts in the comments or link us up to your blog.

Hello November! You came warm, wet and foggy!

Yesterday and today we have been in a kind of Halloween mode around here. Not that we celebrate the holiday much, but even here in Norway you should work hard not to notice it when the date drawing close; with the toy stores crammed with all kinds of spooky and creepy costumes – and lots of candy everywhere. I have said for a while that I wish the holiday we should adopt from the US was the Thanksgiving holiday, not the Halloween one. I know we do not have the history for these holidays anyway, but the stores most certainly do not let that stop the assortment overload of scary masks and buckets for candy now have it?! So why not also adopt Thanksgiving and give it our own little homey twist?

I can think of a million things we can be thankful for, both as a nation and for me personally – I have off course not the time or energy to write down or say out loud all the millions of things I am thinking of (!) BUT I really would love and like to write down one (or a few) things I am thankful for each and every day of this month. So maybe we haven’t adopted this holiday of Giving Thanks in our country just yet, but that will not stop me from having my own little thanksgiving party in my life, now does it.

There even might be a turkey at the end of the road.

And, with me I am taking the Thankful Prompt Katrina Kennedy have gathered together for the month. You can find it here at her site Capture Your 365 (you should become a member and start sharing your thankful photos as well! I’d love to see you there!). I love all the thankful prompts and will try to fill each and every day with a photo of something I am thankful for as well as the words.

For November 1st I will use the prompt and just state the obvious.
This is the person that I am the most thankful for:

I guess it was no surprise, at least not if you have been following this blog for the last 6 years. But it is also so very true! There is no one else on this earth of ours that I am more thankful for than my sweet and happy kid. No matter if the day have been filled with grumpiness and unhappy words and faces (like this afternoon. Sigh. Mine as well as his). Love you big boy!

Now, the really fun thing would be to hear what you are thankful for as well. Please share some words or thoughts or link us up to your blog or photo in the comments. Thanks!

He loves to lay down on the floor with a sheet of blank paper in front of him having a movie playing on the screen. He looks at the movie and he draws, sometimes more into the movie, sometimes more into the drawing. Tonight he drew a new kind of house.

It is the house we are going to live in in the future, he told me.

And then we looked at the drawing together, deciding which part he is going to occupy, which part I am going to living in and what everything else are going to be. I love how he fills our house with his drawings, even when I get a bit tired of finding half drawn sheets of paper all over the floor most mornings. I am so grateful to see that he expresses himself through creative ways. I hope he never forgets to imagine, to dream, to make, to create, to not accept that ‘it can not be done’ as good enough answer when it comes to thinking or dreaming up new creative ways to do or live life.

It might seem like a waste of time to dream or make art. But I do not think that it ever is. I think it is one of the most important things in our life; to believe we were created with this wonderful ability to imagine and make, that we can do as the Master Creator does: create things of beauty. Not only because they are practical and useful things – but because they make us HAPPY.

And beauty is so much, we can only take a look around us: people, plants, animals, flowers, houses, the shapes and the colors of things surrounding us all have something beautiful in them. Even my orange crocks and my tea mug got chosen because of their color (crocks) and shape (mug) that I found to be beautiful. I am sure if you look around in your own living room you can find something that makes you smile with delight. And if not, give room for your creative side. Make something or find something other have made and celebrate the beauty you see.

¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. ¹³ That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.
(Eccl. 3:11-13)

I can’t believe it’s been so long. But today, tonight, it’s 6 (six) years since I brought MT home.
Can you believe it?!

I’m spending it all alone since MT is at his Grandparents, but I’ve used the time good and written down The Long Tale About Bringing Him Home. So here it goes:

6 years ago right about now, I guess I were still on the plane. I was so tired, had been awake all night. So much had happened. The long waiting at the air port in Addis Abeba. The flight in the middle of the night. The uneasy sleep of my little 2,5 year old. The no sleep for me. The early, early morning landing in Frankfurt in Germany. The hours spent at the Mac Donald, eating, playing and talking. Then we had to say farewell to my good friend that had been with us for over a week, I cried and MT screamed, we almost lost it there for a while.

But then he got to meet his Grandparents and got treated with a pizza. He started to smile again and being his goofy self; charming his Grandparents from the very first moment they met. After some hours of talking and getting to know each other, we had to say goodbye again. Not easy, but easier. He had not been with them as long and i think he understood that he would see them again, soon. When they would come to visit us by the fjord were I lived and he soon should live as well.

There where some more waiting, it seemed like for ever. I was so tired and was really relieved when we finally could board the plane. MT decided that he wanted to sit right next to the rotor blade, he found it funny to watch. I felt they might be a bit to noisy for my liking, but hey, it is only one hour flight. I could take that.

It took some more hours to get home. There were fog at the air port, we got rerouted to the main city. When we landed i almost cried again, I was so very tired and kind of emotional; being a new mom and all. My kid was sleeping next to me safely tucked in the belt that i had to bribe him with candy to fasten without too much crying an hour earlier. It was something new to him, they didn’t use belt much in his country. Not that he had flown an air plane before either.

They told me that every one had to leave the plane and go wait inside in the waiting hall. It was too much for me and I almost cried. The stewardess understood me, she was an adoptive mom as well, she said she could eat her lunch in the plane and stay with me. I haven’t words enough to describe how happy that made me, how understood i felt, how thankful I was for that my kid got to sleep and i got to just sit there talking about my boy, about adoption with someone that understood and knew.

After a while we got to take off again, the fog had cleared. We headed for our final destination this day, finally. When I walked out of the plane, with my kid next to me – he woke up when we got there – I cried again. Happy tears this time. Because another good friend stood there waiting for us. Waiting for us to come of the plane, waiting to give each of us a good hug and a welcome home, waiting to drive us home.

And while we drove we got to talk a little, my friend and I, while my kid slept some more. And our day was finally almost over. Finally home, me and my kid, ready for our new life together.

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Thanks for reading! This really is a special day for me. If you want to you can read more about the journey to Ethiopia here. But now it is time for bed for me I guess. Looking forward to see MT again tomorrow. I miss him when he’s not here. The house is so empty and quiet.

Last Friday (September 25th) MT got invited to a costume party. He prepared well and borrowed the costume from his friend – but the head gear he made himself. They had so much fun at the party and this is a little snipped from our conversation as we walked back home. It made me smile big listening to him. It also made me realize how much he’s grown lately. This is me savoring the moment:

Me: Was it fun at the party!
MT: Oh, YES! It was the best!
I ate so much candy that my heart hurt.

Me: What was the most fun?
MT: The girl-war. I hid and scared them.

..hope he didn’t scare them too much. LOL.

I’m so proud of him for going the creative route and making this helmet himself. He’s the designer, I only helped him with gluing together the big parts as well as letting him use one of my cardboard boxes.

I love the details of it and how he found it funny leaving the post stamps on. I love the details, here is even a microphone in case he needs to talk to his friends during a mission.

Way to go for making your own statement my boy.

And for not demanding to buy something when you didn’t have what you imagined. Making it yourself is sooo much cooler anyway You thought me a lesson there.

I’ve really been into scrapping with real paper and glue this month. Not because I don’t like digi scrapping any more (because I DO!) – but because I found a bunch of photos from when MT first entered my life and it’s been so inspiring and fun adding a few stories to paper and putting them to good use as a scrapbook page. It doesn’t hurt that I have some beautiful papers to use either

This photo I nearly put in the bin, but then I remembered the first weeks we had together. How the weather were nice, but a little chilly. How we were stuck in our little town because my car didn’t have the back seat put up, neither did we have a safe stool for MT to sit. How we had to use what we could find. Like this scarf around his neck to keep it warm while we went walking along the fjord side.

You came to Norway in October.
I should have thought about it being fall.
You had both jacket and hat -
but I hadn’t found a scarf for you.
So you had to borrow mine.
It was a little to big, but you didn’t care.
Thankfully.

Here we are out walking together with Grandma and Grandpa. It was their first time visiting us . It was so nice having them for a week. One get to know each other well that way.

22. October 2005

Made with Shimelle’s Starting Point.

I’m so glad for catching a few words or glimpses here and there from what MT is saying or doing. I really should be better at writing them down when they happen. I will not remember later on, apparently, because when I went to Flickr to take this layout below from private to public (since it’s featured at the daily digi today), I found something unexpected when I took the time to read my journaling. I wrote it a little over a month ago, and while I’m quite used to thinking about Whuzha (MT’s favorite stuffed animal) and knew the page was about it, I had already forgotten that I scrapped this because I heard him talking to his friends about this. So so glad for capturing that detail, and for getting it on my page. Yay.

credits: papers, alpha and elements from Close To Heart by Designs by Kat as part of The Digi Files for August 2011. font: Junction

While having our friends here visiting I heard my boy and their girls talking about their favorite stuffed animals. I guess they were looking at a few of them from his collection and I heard him say: ‘Yes, this is one of my favorites, but the one I like the most is Whuzha*. It’s a dog and it’s at my Grandma’s right now’. I smiled hearing this. And I know how much he loves that dog. He got it from one of my friends when she came to Addis Abeba to help bring MT home to Norway. For a long time he kept it with him wherever he went. At home, on holidays, in the car and in his bed at night. He played with it and cared for it.

I’m so glad he still thinks that Whuzha is his favorite stuffed animal. That he still care even though he’s a big boy now.

* as far as I know Whuzha (my spelling, it might be wrong) is the word for dog on Amharic, the language MT spoke when I met him.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed with all the stories yet to tell or with all the little moments that passes us by because we doesn’t pay attention, but I will rather be happy about the glimpses and stories that are actually told than worry too much about the rest.

Have you told a story about your life – or a loved one lately? Please share

I’ve been scrapping more traditional layouts the last week than I ever thought were possible (at least for me), but it’s been fun. Most of the time (a few times I’ve been staring at the canvas not sure of what to do next or thinking that the last move what not a good one – a few not so fun moments). Nothing like learning something new and getting inspired to be crafty on a few everyday kind of days. A big Thank You to Shimelle for throwing out all these challenges and giving me the push to try my hands on real paper (and not only the digital kind, which I already knew I loved).

Since this is the last day to enter the challenges, there will be quite a few scrapbooking post following this. So let’s get this party starting. Here is my contribution to the Color Story Challenge:

I found some old photos from when MT was all new to me and we just had become a family through adoption. I couldn’t remember much about the situation, other than I guess it was quite some everyday stuff. I do know his face expressions, though, both his happy come play with me and his more demanding we have to go out now! It’s still so much a part of him 6 years after. I also did notice the hood, MT loves wearing sweaters with hoods and he often will put the hood up. Apparently that is a pretty common style for him

For this I used mostly recent Studio Calico papers, stamps and embellishment + some of Ali Edward’s word stamp.

Thanks for looking. See you soon

Shimelle is having a fun online crop over at her place this weekend, with lots of challenges and giveaways. I’ve been looking forward to this and am going to use what spare time I have today to scrapbook a few memories – I’m even going to use real paper, my scissors and some glue. Just to change it up a little (and because that too is fun!)

Last night I stayed up way too late and made my first entry for the crop, using a lot of different stickers. It was fun mixing them all up and a great challenge for a simple scrapper like myself. I used papers and embellishments from a few recent Studio Calico kits and did my own little spin on Shimelle’s page.

(If you want to read a little bit about what’s in my journaling click the image and jump over to Flickr)

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Ahem, I’m all new to the whole taking good photos of real life scrapbook pages, but I’ll experiment a little this coming week. It can only be better

MT is having a little mini-vacation at his Grandparents right now. I totally miss him, but my work schedule is also no fun for him to tag along for, so it’s for the better. To top it up my father is paying him for helping out, so he’s even earning himself a little spending money and was a happy camper last time I spoke with him on the phone. 

One of my recent pages are showcased at The Daily Digi today (I just have to say that after almost a year of being on the team it’s still super fun to see my pages there in their posts – even when Steph gives me a new name. LOL.). It’s a page about the bond between my father and my son. I wanted to share it here as well.

(Please click image for journaling and credits.)

Thank you for looking. I’m off to rest a little for before another busy day.

From a quiet little moment in a rather busy Monday.

From a little stop at my favorite little café in our tiny town. The food; delicious focaccia + coffee for me and just as delicious bun (with custard filling) + water. Yum. We’ll be back.

Love the light(ing) in the photo. Wish MT didn’t made a face, but still a favorite. And a good start to the week.

What or where are your favorite spot?

It’s the best day in my life! MT shouted out some hours ago.

He might be exaggerating a bit. But we were on our way to buy him a new big bike, so off course he was happy happy He’s been waiting for this since April. That is a while. At least when you are 8 and really, really want a new bike.

Right now the bike is in the car and in it’s box. We got home a little late, so we have to wait until he’s back from school tomorrow before we can put it together – and he can ride his first ride on his new shiny big boy bike.

That is surely going to be a great day as well! And, yes, there will be photos!

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The flowers got picket on our way home. I just had to stop and shoot a few clicks of this view (below) and he just had to pick a few flowers since they smelled so good. Now my kitchen smells just as nice. Sweet!

I’ve been kind of into taking photos with my phone again. I guess the light days and evenings helps, and with far more activity outdoors it’s easy to capture the moments with the camera I (almost) always have with me. Here are a few from the last weekends, taken using the Hipstamatic app.

My favorite! Love the colors and the peaceful feeling. Really screams summer to me

Reflections.

Just love this one. The colors. The action. The framing.

So glad to be inside my car when the rain hit.

Tasty.

A favorite card game in our house right now. MT is on a winning streak. And I’m not going easy on him. We have rematches scheduled for the entire summer

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Thanks for looking at my HAPPY moments from the last week. There have been a lot of other things going on in our life as well, not so fun stuff as well. Just wanted to give the happy feeling some room. That’s the moments I want to remember!

** Ops. Fell asleep in the chair yesterday and forgot this wasn’t published. Now it is.**

I can hardly believe it, but another month of snapping away photos (more or less) everyday has come to an end (and to be honest a new month is well on it’s way!). I’m so happy for all the memories I have gathered from the month of April. And this time I want to show you some photos from our Easter week. MT had a few days off school and we had some time on our hands to be together and enjoy the beautiful spring weather, in between me working at church.

Here we go:

18. April 2011 | First Go In Cold Spring River Water

19. April 2011 | Got To Love Some Ice Cream

21. April 2011 | Walking Home From Church
(look he's got his drawing block and pencils with him, as always).

22. April 2011 | HAPPY BIRTHDAY my son. 8 is gonna rock!

23. April 2011 | Having Fun Playing With Birthday Gifts

24. April 2011 | So Glad Grandma & Grandpa Had Some Time To Stay After Church

25. April 2011 | Going To The Pool

Find more of my photos in my Flickr stream or join me in the forum and gallery @ Capture Your 365. It’s such a friendly and encouraging place. In fact if you follow along on this blog hop, you’ll meet a few of us. Next up is: Tracy.

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Thanks for visiting me.

Safe Journey Ahead!

Leave a comment if you want and welcome back!

In case you get lost on your way, here is the full list of blogs:
1. Jill 2. Kate3. Katrina 4. Kathleen 5. Christi 6. Tammy 7. Anne 8. Tracy 9. Sharon 10. Lee 11. Michelle 12. Beth 13. Michele 14. Christine

My Grandpa always told me that it wasn’t really a happy easter until Easter Day. I’m not so sure if I agree, because every day – throughout the year – is a Happy Easter because of what Jesus did almost two thousand years ago. But I still tend to think about my Grandpa when it comes to this, so today I’m going to say – with my broadest smile and warmest voice:

I wish you all a Blessed and Happy Easter Day!

HE IS RISEN! He is here.