Lunch at 9:30 AM

Well, we have had quite the day. Michael woke up twice in the middle of the night last night crying, "mama, mama, mama!" It was sad that he didn't sleep well (this is the first time he's woken up in the middle of the night), but encouraging that he called out for me. I just wish he knew that if he is scared or needs something he can come into our room. We didn't have a monitor set up last night, so I have no idea how long he was crying before I heard him.

The kids woke up at 3am and were ready to get up and play. They only slept for 8 hours (they usually sleep 11-12)... I think it's because of all the sleeping they did on the plane. So, we all got up at 3. I made pancakes and eggs for breakfast. Then we played for a while. After a couple hours, we had the kids take a nap so mommy and daddy could rest. They only slept for an hour and then came in our bed and cuddled with us for another 30 minutes. There is nothing better than cuddling with the kids. I have to be careful because it's a huge temptation to let the kids sleep with us... I don't want that to become a habit! But, cuddling after naps and in the morning is okay with Matt and I. And it's a great time to bond for everyone.

After a short nap, we got dressed and ate lunch at 9:30 am. Today we had spaghetti. I put an Ethiopian spice in the spaghetti sauce - the kids loved it!. After lunch we went to Target to pick up a few items for the kids. They did great. Liliana very much enjoyed riding in the cart and Michael liked to stand on the end of the cart for a ride. We got lots of curious looks for other shoppers ... but probably just as many warm smiles.

After Target we stopped by my sister's house so that the kids could meet 2 of their cousins and of course their aunt and uncle. I am so confused about time and day that I totally forgot that it was a school day and that Emmie was at school. The kids had a great time with Natalie. She was very cute... getting out toys especially for the kids to play with. We had some pizza with them. Natalie got out one pretzel stick that she wanted Michael to have. It was really cute. She also wanted to hold and feed Liliana. It was very cute to watch Natalie interact with her new cousins. Sadie and I figured out that Michael and Natalie will be in the same grade. It's funny to think they are almost the same age (Natalie is 3 months older) because she is so much taller than Michael. It made me realize that even though he looks big, he really is quite small.

After our time with the cousins, we came home and took another nap. We had to wake the kids up from this nap because we were afraid if we didn't they wouldn't go to sleep tonight. I made chicken, potatoes and broccoli for dinner with the Ethiopian spice and Injera. Michael liked the chicken and potatoes and Liliana only ate the potatoes. She is getting more and more picky everyday.

After dinner we played for an hour or so before bed. We put in an Amharic Christian DVD for the kids. Both of them enjoyed dancing to the music and Michael sang along.

The kids went to bed around 7:30 and then Matt and I were finally able to catch up on LOST. Now we are getting ready for bed. Here's to hoping the kids sleep until 7 tomorrow morning!