Well, I have been informed that 97% of the blogs have been written by my lovely husband. Since I just sit around here eating bon bons all day, I graciously agreed to update our blog.
Addis is treating us well. We have FINALLY found a house. Yes, you read that right. We have found a house. Have we moved in yet....No! But, rest assured, we are supposed to move in next week, close to the 1st of November. To be continued. We won't believe it ourselves until we actually have our beds there, and have spent the night. The boys and I have been there 3 times, but have forgotten to take pictures but you will see a plethora of them when we move in. It's lovely, minus the carpet. But I think I will get over that. The neighborhood is what we love the most. Otto will be able to ride his skuut (when our shipment arrives) and Arlo can run or ride his trike (he's flexible) around the "block." The house is walking distance to the grocery store, shops, and coffee. We are simply excited to get settled in our own humble abode....and start welcoming guests.
Nate is busy at work. He recently took a trip outside of Addis and the boys and I survived 5 nights without him. We managed to have fun and keep ourselves busy, but still missed him tremendously. He traveled to Jijiga which was about a 1.5 hour flight from Addis. He then traveled via car to Gashamo, a 9 hour car ride on a dirt road. Minus the car ride, he was back in his element, and enjoying the village life, working on a few projects.
The boys are doing well. Arlo is a funny little guy. Still grunts and groans and doesn't say much in the form of the English language, but still manages to get his point across quite clearly. We think he may learn Amharic before English. However, he did manage to say "bread" when we were out to dinner the other night. We were proud! He is also getting all four of his one year molars at the same time. ...and still manages to smile most of the day.
Otto is really into playing soccer these days, even if it just consists of kicking the soccer ball back and forth to whomever will play...me, Nate, the wall, Arlo, the guards. He is also starting pre-school on November 2nd and is very excited about that. In fact, he looked at me the other day and said, "Mom, I think I'm really going to like school." We hope so. I informed him that Doug would not be going to school with him. He didn't respond. This conversation is also to be continued.
Let's see if I can even manage to add a few photos (Nate is reading National Geographic next to me...maybe he will help). I have managed to figure out how to upload photos, however, they take forever to upload. No wonder Nate gave me this job tonight! He is the patient one, not me!
Here are some photos from our fun swimming and playing at the Sheraton. The person in the first pic is Ryan, a friend of ours from Peace Corps days. Ryan works for Save the Children in DC and is in Addis for a couple of weeks on a work trip.
And here are a few pics from Nate's recent trip to Eastern Ethiopia:
Miss you all. Thanks for keeping in touch, it means a lot to us.
Sending our love, Kelly, Nate, Otto and Arlo
PS, Nate did the photos for me...maybe next time. (yeah right)
Dear me. Nine hours on a dirt road...to get to your element, Nate? I'm glad there are people like the Nate Oetting family who love such elements and adventures!
ReplyDeleteAnd those camels - awesome. Just like the cows back in MO, yes?
Also, now that you're back in Africa, Nate, will you be growing your hair again?
bon bons--My wife, too, loves those. you crack me up. Maybe this will inspire her to blog for once. I think I can top Nate's 97%. Congrats on the house. So great to hear your voice shining through, despite the miles.
ReplyDeletehello from your backyard neighbor julie white. i have been following your blog and loving it. sounds like you are settling in well, i hope the move to your new home goes well and you get settled quickly. you all look so happy in the photos, scott and i really loved the one of arlo standing beside the tall beer glass. i was thinking about halloween today, will be sad not to see otto/arlo all dressed up. weather has been miserable here for a few days, lots of rain and wind. i think fall has finally arrived. take care.....
ReplyDeleteMom Oetting here, thanking you for taking the time to make your blog so personal. Nathan, Kelly e-mailed me that the boys were getting a hair cut. Did that include you? Yep, just can't help it, I'm still the same critical mom you grew up with! But I love you all sooo much. Can't wait to see pics of your house, and car. How will Otto break the news to his personal taxi cab driver??
ReplyDelete