The Tattoo

Mark has been talking about getting a tattoo for a long time. I don't remember exactly when he made the decision that he'd like to get a tattoo but I do remember that he wanted it to be one that connected to Ethiopia and our adoption. We talked about it and decided that this would be a good gift for his first Father's Day. So this past Friday night, Mark took his drawing to the tattoo artist -- Mark had actually photographed his wedding a number of years ago. One funny thing is that Mark had to repeatedly tell Matt which way Ethiopia went -- Matt kept turning it upside down! Matt had plenty of stories about strange tattoos, mis-spellings, etc. Mark was happy to set Matt straight so Ethiopia was upright!

The tattoo is the outline of Ethiopia with the colors of the Ethiopian flag inside. The three symbols spell "Kebebe" in Amharic. Amharic is the main language of Ethiopia and Kebebe is Simon's birth name and now his middle name. Mark says that it wasn't too painful ... that it feels like a rug burn or a bad sun burn. Simon doesn't know if he should try to scratch it off or give it kisses as he says "ouch." One day he'll understand how it is connected to him.

And no ... you won't be hearing about me getting a tattoo anytime soon! : )

Barnyard Rap

I might be more amused than Simon is by this video ... but I think that Mark does a great job with this story. I am also amazed that Simon sat still for nearly a whole minute! So gather the kids around for a bedtime story ...

Ladies and gentlemen, the Barnyard Rap:

Mark's First Father's Day

What fun to celebrate Mark's first Father's Day this weekend! We had an awesome weekend together as a family. Mark got to choose all of our activities on Saturday, which included some fingerpainting and playing at the water table with Simon. On Sunday, we traveled to North Manchester to go to church and then over to Ossian for a family gathering at Mark's brother's house. We were on the road a lot on Sunday and Simon took it all in stride. He also slept nearly the entire drive home! But it was truly a fun weekend.

Mark has taken to fatherhood like a duck to water. He is so great with Simon. And Simon LOVES his Daddy. They are the best of friends. Mark is so good at knowing when it's ok to just let the fun happen and when Simon needs some boundaries. He's the one who puts him to sleep each night and is much better at getting up at night with Simon than I am. I love listening to Simon and Mark's 'conversations' -- it's so cute how Simon responds to Mark when he talks to him. Mark is patient, gentle, Simon's primary wrestling partner and race track builder. He is much better at saying no and sticking with it than me. (I tend to be a push-over when it comes to Simon -- sometimes that's ok but not always!) Simon wants to be where his Daddy is and his whole face lights up when Mark enters a room. Mark is just a natural at being a Dad.

For Mark's first Father's Day, he requested a tattoo. He is still considering his options but it will be something connected to Simon and our trip to Ethiopia. But I still wanted to give him a gift to mark this special day. So Simon and I painted the ultimate gift for a Dad ... a coffee mug! We went to Mommy and Me day at our local pottery place and had fun! Thank goodness for the kind woman who worked there. She helped me to get Simon's hand prints onto the mug.

And a few of my favorite photos of Mark and Simon ... at Columbian Park Zoo ...

Simon 'helping' Daddy in the kitchen ....

And visiting the Ponsler's at their camp site ... love this photo by Sarah!

Happy Father's Day, Mark! We love you very much!

He Liked the Soup!

We're always trying to find ways to get some veggies into Simon. So Mark pureed the soup we had for dinner tonight and well, the pictures say it all. Simon LOVED it! And even asked for seconds. Wow!

Yes, he does make a mess! But isn't he so cute when he's messy? Love the goatee look!

And the cook was probably the happiest person at the dinner table!

Ethiopia meets Indiana

While we were still in Ethiopia picking up Simon , I had an idea for a photo. Him in his traditional Ethiopian outfit in the corn fields of Indiana. Seemed like a cool idea that would show who he is. Anyway, we finally got a chance to put him in his outfit and take some photos. Here is what they look like. I think they came out exactly how I envisioned them.

Simon's VERY Busy Week In Photos (in random order!)

I started back to work today but have been wanting to get some photos up -- it's been a busy 10 days! So in random order ... photos from the MANY fun things we got to do in the last days of my time off from work.

Breakfast with the Yoder Family -- visiting from Arizona!
A walk at the Celery Bog with Anne, Ray and Adele -- so fun!

First visit to Tropicanoe Cove -- Simon loved it!

Hitching a ride with Tegegn at Prophetstown State Park.

Men who stare at goats. Just kidding! The petting zoo at Columbian Park.

Splashing in the fountains at Columbian Park Zoo.

Making 'smores with Sarah Ponsler at their campsite.

Checking out the fire truck at Imagination Station. Probably his favorite exhibit!

Kissing his girlfriend (our future daughter-in-law???), Ayla.

Simon loved hanging out with Adele at the Celery Bog.

A visit from our niece, Emily. She had foot surgery recently and Simon loved sharing her wheelchair at Target.

This is what it looks like when you're learning to ride your tricycle and your Mom is overprotective.

LOVE this photo of my two favorite guys! Thanks, Sarah, for taking this great photo!

First day back to work and Simon and Mark joined me for lunch by the fountain.

The kid's table at a cook-out with our adoption group. They had so much fun together!

Simon is warming up to Ruby. He usually only likes dogs from a distance!

Ready for his first day of "school" -- day care!

Trying on his traditional Ethiopian outfit -- it fit! More photos of this to come.

The Lafayette Africa Adoption group at Imagination Station!

Chocolate Cupcake ... need I say more?

Yes ... more chocolate cupcakes!

Best of friends!

Just because he's cute!