Thankful

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Thanksgiving DinnerWe have so much for which to be thankful.  In fact, I won’t even try to list things here because the list would be incredibly long – yet still incomplete.  God has been so good to us and we appreciate His close watch over us.  Thanksgiving comes but once a year, but our gratitude is felt every moment of every day.

Janel and Ryan flew up from San Francisco on Wednesday evening.  Wednesday night was pie-baking (& cranberry sauce) night.  Janel and David baked the pies this year with Randy playing a consulting and training role.  Janel is now officially better at pie shells than Randy.  We had two pumpkin, one pecan and one coconut cream pie, all of which were amazing!

Thanksgiving day was quiet for most of the morning.  Janel helped Randy with the turkey and the stuffing (again – amazing), while Ryan helped out by setting up Randy’s new printer (the old one died while printing Christmas letters).  Daniel and David were in and out – alternating between playing and helping get the house ready for company.  For dinner, Randy’s parents and Joany, Lauren and Alyssa were here.  The 11 of us made a dent in the 25-pound turkey, but were unable to devour the whole thing.  After dinner, Julie, Cindy, Jackie (friend), MacKenzie, Mason and Borja (exchange student) arrived for more fun and frivolity.  Sarah Skyped in to the room for a while.  We turned off the football games and turned on the Wii, had card games running, and a little general mayhem.  It was fantastic!  A bit later Chris and Carrie came over for a little while.  We were blessed by everyone who showed up – thank you to all.

The video below is a brief compilation of games and horseplay – Daniel and Borja get a bit competitive playing Fifa soccer on the Wii (Borja’s player earns a red card) – card games and general visiting.  Also, Sarah joined via Skype. Click the picture above to see more.

Veterans Day

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I thought we’d take a moment to recognize our veterans.  It’s impossible to fully state our appreciation – we are so grateful to God for this amazing country.  Occasionally you come across a song and/or video that does a much better job of expressing your feelings than you are able to do on your own.  For us, this video fits that bill.  Please listen to it and truly thank a vet.

Halloween 2012 – revised with new pictures – 11/23/12

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The boys enjoy Halloween, especially the goodies.  They like to dress up, but they don’t seem to like to go overboard.  This year, their costumes were rather simple, with hooded sweatshirts that zip over the face to provide the mask.  We really tend to enjoy the pumpkin patch and we went to see the Picha Farms patch this year.  Sarah and Janel had a couple of the Picha men as teachers in Junior High and High School.  We saw both of them and they asked about the girls.  Meanwhile, we explored the farm, launched some gourds with the slingshot (David missed winning a free pumpkin by about 2 inches), and then navigated the corn maze.  It was challenging, but we took a picture of the map using David’s iPod before we entered; then we wound our way through to all of the check-in stations.

Also, the boys went with Sary-Jo and a couple friends to Fright Fest at Wild Waves.  They had a blast!  Finally, Sary-Jo and Randy went to a Halloween party in costume (pictures added 11/23).  This is highly irregular for Randy as he is not a fan of costumes.  Still, it was pretty good.  Click on the picture above to see more.

Tigist

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I’m sorry for the late posting; I thought I had posted this months ago.  In June we received an update from the boys’ sister, Tigist.  Joy and Abebe met with her on about May 31.  During their visit, they shared a letter that we had sent and pictures of the boys.  We are very grateful that Joy is able to keep us informed about Tigist (and their grandfather).  This year we learned that Tigist is now married.  In the pictures here, you can see her looking at recent pictures of the boys.  She seems healthy and all accounts are good.

Unique Opportunity

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Every once in a while, a person gets to meet someone very special.  Daniel and David had that opportunity earlier this month.  Lopez Lomong (click here to read his Wikipedia page) is a two-time Olympian for the United States.  He was born in Sudan and, as a young boy, captured by soldiers.  He and two teen-age boys from his village escaped and ran for three days into Kenya, where he lived in a refugee camp for 10 years.  At age 16, he was sponsored into a U.S. family and later became a US citizen.  (This is ultra-condensed – you should read his story).

Lomong was in Tacoma and met with the cross country team at Bellarmine.  We are fortunate to have connections and our boys were included.  As stated earlier, this was a truly memorable meeting for our boys.  We just have a few pictures and a bit of video.

Checking In With Joy

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We stopped by the Adoption Ministry office to check in with Joy Casey, the Executive Director, and to drop off the generous donations that were provided through the boys’ birthday party / fund raiser.  It’s always great to see Joy and, even though she sees Daniel and David a few times each year, she still seems a bit amazed by their growth.  We are truly blessed to have Adoption Ministry so close to home.

Haunted Hustle

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The City of Puyallup puts on a 5K (and a 10K) run called the Haunted Hustle.  We registered both Daniel & David, but Daniel could not run because he wasn’t feeling well.  So… David went out and won the under 14 age group with a time of 20:21!  He came back looking like he could have run a lot farther – maybe he should try the 10K next year.  As a result of winning his category, he can participate next year without paying the entrance fee.  Overall, he finished fifth.  What a runner!

Birthdays

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It was birthday week here at the Averill home.  Daniel’s birthday was on Monday, October 8 and David’s followed on Friday.  Because of soccer and other activities, we gave them their gifts early in the morning and then get on with the day.  We took a few pictures and, since they’re such good looking kids, thought we’d share them.

Daniel & Columbus (&Isabela too)

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Our big cat, Columbus, really likes to spend time with Daniel.  Columbus will sometimes follow him around until he sits – wherever that might be.  Occasionally, Columbus’ sister, Isabella, likes to get in on the action.  Here are a few recent pictures of Daniel with the cats.  And as I typed this, Columbus jumped in my lap!

Birthday Party 2012

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As in previous years, we were pleased to host a gathering / fundraiser to honor the boys on their birthdays.  Our goal is to continue to connect them with their heritage, and to teach them that there are things they can do help other kids that are currently in the situation our boys were in just a few short years ago.  We ask our family and friends to consider donating funds to support the orphanage in Ethiopia as a birthday gift.  We also gather at Bradley Lake Park so all the kids can run around, kick a soccer ball, and do the other things they like to do (and, really, there’s nothing they like to do more than kick a soccer ball).

This year, we had amazing weather (last year we had a downpour).  And we were (are) overwhelmed with the generosity of our family and friends.  Thank you to everyone who helped us raise about $1,500 for Adoption Ministry’s Orphan & Widows Home.  The orphanage provides a safe place for many who desperately need one.  And it united us with our sons!