Brother Daniel is coming to America!!!!

Here are pictures of Kelcey, Evans, Maggie and Daniel playing Triominos, the score sheet showing Daniel's winning score (he insisted that we take a picture of it) , all of us eating at a Chinese restaraunt in Osu, and Daniel showing his muscles. I bet he never thought that picture would get out on the web!



Daniel got his visa (not an easy process) in Accra and is coming to America next week for 2-3 months. He will be staying with a pastor from Ghana here in South Seattle. He was an amazing help to us while we were in Ghana (both trips) and he is still a good friend to Maggie and Kelcey through facebook. I can't wait for him to meet our boys here in the US. YAY!!!! Looking back at these pictures sure brings back memories. I hardly had time to process one trip then it was back again, then when I arrived home withthe kids and and Comfort ended up in Children's Hospital 8 days later, it was all a whirlwind. It's nice to take time to look at the pictures now. I remember Maggie in the top picture, she was so sick, you can see how swollen her face was, but she's one to never miss a game night party! What a trip.....lots of good, some bad, some horrible and some great. TOTALLY WORTH EVERY MINUTE.
Lanae

Last of summer in Seattle

I just found these pictures that we took in September in Seattle. We are blessed to live by a beautiful city!
Lanae

Red trees, falling leaves, cold hands........

We have had an amazing summer with our new family, but sadly for me (I love summer!!) we are moving into fall in the Pacific Northwest. Much to Brian, Josephine and Comfort's amazement, the trees are turning colors and the leaves are falling off the trees! They have so many questions about fall, why do the leaves fall, will the trees die, why do my hands hurt when they are cold......
It has been so interesting and fun to be able to teach them all the new things. Today we started school with a nature walk to look at all the beautiful trees and gather some leaves to make leaf rubbings. Yesterday we went to the Ballard Locks and saw the migrating salmon going through the fish ladder, and also had a lesson on how to put on a coat over a long sleeve shirt. Some things you take for granted, thinking that your kids just automatically know them, but all of these things were taught to them when they were toddlers. However, in Ghana there are no coats and long sleeve shirts, no painful freezing hands, no fall weather, no falling leaves.
Notice that Nathan is still holding out and wearing shorts!! He loves summer too.
Lanae

First Snow!

SUNRISE at MT. RAINIER


WHY DO BOYS ALWAYS HAVE TO STAND ON THE FARTHEST TIP OVERHANGING THE DANGEROUS CLIFF?????
HOW FUNNY IS THIS PICTURE....LOOK AT THEIR FACES, THEY WERE TRYING TO SMILE BUT THE SNOW WAS SOOO COLD TO THEM.
I LOVE MY MAN!!!

BRIAN AND NATHAN ARE GREAT BUDDIES
THIS WAS THE VERY FIRST TIME THEY HAD EVER TOUCHED SNOW

Today we went on an amazing hike at Sunrise on Mt. Rainier and Brian, Josephine and Comfort got to see and touch their first snow!! They were so excited, then they realized how cold it is! It was really funny to talk to them about why your hands hurt when they get cold and how to warm them up. They have never had snowy cold hands before and had no idea how to get them warm.
It was so nice to finally be out doing our favorite activity with the kids. Comfort had to be carried up the trail (it's so great to have a manly 15 year old son prove how strong he is by carrying his heavy little sister up the hill!) but then she was able to walk on the flat parts. She is improving but still has compromised heart function that will keep improving with time. I still am amazed at what a miracle she is, tromping around Mt Rainier like a trooper!
We really have not been hiking the whole summer because we knew that Comfort would not be able to so this was a great treat for us.
Next summer we are definitely going hiking at Sunrise, anyone want to join us?? Knox family maybe? Ryan, Tamara, Cassidy and our new granddaughter in a pack?
Lanae