my new fave pic

So its been a while but here goes...

I have been a horrible blogger but I don't feel too guilty I must admit because my hands have been fuller than full with these amazing 2 boys of ours. WOW have they been growing and learning and becoming even more amazing each and every day. I am constantly thinking about just how lucky we all are to be together.So Dust has returned to work and we have settled into our daily routine ...which is so much more fun when it's warm. The boys now enjoy time in their very own sandbox and have some great shovels and buckets....Thanks Bobby and Jodhi! Madden is growing like crazy and Ryder too I guess with Madden it just seems more obvious. We have expanded our movie appreciation to cars and cars 2 and Winnie the Pooh....
  Ryder has become an expert on all things trucks and cars.....we have a bedtime book where he now not only identifies the excavators etc but jumps from page to page to link up the paramedic with the appropriate truck and the pilot with the helicopter etc...It is truly amazing to think just 3 months ago he only spoke Amharic.
We are also enjoying a whole array of food that new for the boys....current favorites being quesadillias and hot dogs and veggie burgers ...I sneak in some meat alternatives whenever I get the chance....:):)
We have been to the zoo twice.....big hits and for the most part we are just loving our day to day lives of park sandbox snuggle time...dancing and our 2 fave TV shows Dinosaur train and Chuggington....which here at the coup house is referred to as shugg-a-shugg:):)
Being a mom is really something....getting to be Ryder and Madden's mom is the greatest gift in the world. Watching them learn and be affectionate melts my heart and I cant imagine my life before them.
Our new stroller the Cougar Chariot 2 is the greatest thing that has ever happened to us....Anyone looking for the worlds greatest stroller look no further....I will include a pic...I am so grateful to have it!!!!
The dogs and boys are chummy like best buddies with lots of petting and kissing and trips to the dog park. I can't believe there was a time that I was worried that the 4 of them may never come to get along...as with all things new and a bit scary at first we have worked it out far better than I expected.
We are so excited to get the cottage opened and get the boys in the lake....the trips to Al's pool have been less frequent now that he is a working man and the boys still love their swimming.
They crack me up these 2 ....just now Ryder reminded me that he has a big tummy and baby has a big head....in fairness baby is the one with the big tummy and head :)
Its almost bath time here we are going to break out the water guns...I will take some pics for sure.
This process of adopting up until December really felt like one big nightmare....and I know people used to tell me don't worry it will all be worth it....Deep down I worried that the heartache ran too deep and I was discouraged all along but let me assure anyone still waiting for "the call"....keep holding on...no matter how hard or long the road stick with it...I was lucky to have a number of very supportive people in my life who pushed me back on the horse each time we were "bucked off" by some new crisis in the process...if it wasn't for those supporters I wouldn't be sitting here with the 2 most amazing and precious boys this world has ever seen.
I will try and be more on top of this but wanted to capture some of the fun and excitement that we are enjoying now...

home

Well we made it. It still feels surreal but we are now home in Toronto and loving it. The boys are already being spoiled rotten and we especially me are still trying to reset our internal clocks and shake this jet lag. The boys are doing great Ryder is sleeping through the night. Madden finally has a crib and our biggest struggle right now is our puppies. We are so happy to have Jersey and Indy back but the boys are not so excited so we have been gating them off hoping that with time the boys will be less apprehensive. Thanks to Joey we have a stroller we plan on trying out today and we have been lucky to have grandparents who have helped with all the things we needed high chairs clothes toys...the list goes on and on. The car seats were a surprisingly big hit (thanks nan Jane) and Uncle Al is responsible  for the lovely musical toys that were successful in being the noisiest toys possible...Thanks uncle Al. Big bunny now has 2 new friends thanks to Aunt Julie and Uncle Fred...Thank you sososo much and Melanie gave Ryder his very own computer. Kar picked us up at the airport and the boys love their Canada bear and Moose....We are so lucky to have so many great people in our lives that now get to be a part of our boys lives too...which makes them incredibly lucky. They are playing with blocks right now while Dust goes out in search for mittens so we can try our first outting to the park.
I am tired but feeling better and am looking sososo forward to a visit with some friends tonight some adult time....much needed and with great peeps. I have included some pics of our first few days home and will try and keep updating the blog as much as I can....god knows my opportunities are limited but I want to remember all of this how great it is to be back and how lucky we are to have these 2 wonderful boys in our lives.
xoxoxoxoxo

The Coups

On our way home.... Canada here we come

The final few days

So its hard to believe but we are in the home stretch literally....only 2 more sleeps till we fly home!!! We are now calling the Hilton home and the boys couldnt be happier...Ryder thanks grandma Jane for the pool access and Dustin gets to eat real food. Madden is in a crib for the first time in 2 months...which means more sleep for everyone. I am thankful for the shower and gym. We were going to go back to our rented house today but we had a late lunch so we have put it off till tomorrow. All 3 boys are sound asleep and it's 2:58 pm.
Its superbowl sunday...for us it will be superbowl monday and I am trying to figure out how to watch the game @ 2am without waking the boys...
Its hard to believe still that we are actually going home...for a good long while it felt like this day would never come but there is a short list of things we will miss and sunshine and warm weather is near the top.
Madden is starting to talk up a storm...words like wash and wow and Ryder and Madden...
Ryder's english is amazing and he talks about the airplane to Canada a lot. His current fave movie is "up" which we refer to as the house movie.
We are a little nervous for how we will all fare on the long flight home...I am just hoping that flight #1 which leaves at 11:30 pm the boys will sleep we have a long stopover in Frankfurt then flight #2....it's going to be quite an eventful 24 hours but my guess is that after some of the events we have endured over the last 2 months it wont be that bad. I told Dust yesterday that after Kariftu I am prepared to overcome anything!

We are sosososo excited to see our friends and family and dogs and house it's ridiculous.
We hope you are all doing well and miss you all tons and tons and when the boys get up and I can find the camera I will post some pics.

coming home

Well its almost official flights are booked and hopefully the visa will be here and then its back to Canada. For a long time it felt like this moment was not going to be a reality. I am sososo happy for us, the boys, and am so grateful for all the help we got from half way round the world in getting us some help with the Government. We are so lucky to be so loved and will spend an eternity paying back all the favours we called in. 
So now the countdown is on..... 13 days and we are really going to try to make the most of them. I know I have done my fair share of "glass half empty" dialogue but there are things I am going to miss....this time the 4 of us had together could not have been replicated at home. We got to do things at a pace that was way better for the boys. I wish Dust didnt have to go back to work so we could continue to have all this time the 4 of us. Madden lights up every time he enters the room...I have this time to post because those two are enjoying their regular afternoon catnap. Ryder is next to me doing his puzzle on the table he is so smart and is learning so quickly and I cant wait for all the new experiences that he will get to have once we come home. we are going to the Merkato 


Merkato is the largest open air market in Africa, covering several square miles and employing an estimated 13,000 people in 7,100 business entities


Another adventure that would be impossible without the amazing child carriers Joey gifted us with,then to dinner at Makush art gallery. We are taking the boys to Kuriftu a resort on a lake Sunday then hope to finish out the trip with a few nights at the Hilton. Ryder's birthday is the 28th but we are going to celebrate it when we get home so he can enjoy some of the traditions we want to start that are hard to pull off here. We are listening to Dave Matthews and I just told Ryder that we are going to be getting on an  airplane this summer to see them with Uncle Al...not sure he gets it...now he is singing.


Motherhood is so much more than I ever expected its like my heart has been stretched across thousands of miles and its still not wide enough to cover all the love I have.


We have a new fave DVD around here its reffered to as "kitty cat in the hat" (cat in the hat with Mike Myers) Thanks grandma Jane that package you sent keeps on giving...Dust ate the last packet of his kraft dinner cheese today at lunch and I am enjoying my PB2!!
Well the puzzle is "all done"
and now I am going to teach Ryder to play with the eye spy flash cards. We miss you all like crazy and cant wait to give and get some ginormous hugs very very soon.


xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

The Coups

sunny saturday afternoon

well another week gone by and we had a great day and sadly had to say bye to some great friends who got to return to Canada. Thank goodness for the pool at the Sheraton. We are trying to stay positive and hope to know more next week about when we will be getting to get on a plane and return home. 

We are missing home and the comforts of home we took for granted. On our walk today a wee puppy followed us for a while....I miss Jersey and Indy and am so grateful that I have the greatest mother in law in the world who has taken them in and is loving them like crazy. 

Our friends and family occupy our minds constantly and we want our family of 4 back home in Toronto as soon as possible. Our boys are growing and fast and we cant wait to see you all soon.

We attended a large celebration the other day where hundreds of people walked the streets and Dust made a crack about posting a picture and saying that we cant get the Canadian government to help us but look at the turn out here in Ethiopia....I am eager to send out positive vibes so I have quoted him...for the sake of making the joke. 

Ryder has also become quite a skilled puzzle put togetherer. He can now complete the map of the world and when he puts in together he points out Canada....where we all hope to be very soon!!!!

PS we are so very grateful for all the help we have gotten from all our family as far as trying to make headway with our ability to get home soon. We love you all

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

The Coups