Stout Family Life

Merry Christmas!

For those locals who didn't get the Christmas letter- here it is below:
Merry Christmas—Oh come let us adore Him.
This season is about waiting expectantly for the birth of Christ, and this year has been a year of waiting for the Stouts as well. We knew we would wait a long time for the referral of our son, but when summer arrived we were sure it would be any day. And after 16 months of waiting, on October 22nd we finally got the exciting call telling us about our son
Solomon. And now more waiting. I think there is a reason pregnancy is around 9 months– we have had MUCH too long to think about adding a little one to our household.
We are hoping to meet Solomon in February or March. Kylia is very excited to meet her baby brother and talks about how she will help him and reminds us to bring bottles to Africa. (which is very relevant if any of you remember how we forgot to bring them for our flight home from Ethiopia with Kylia. I am thinking there is some subconscious trauma there). We got her passport a few months ago, and are happy that she can meet her baby brother at the same time that we do. We may regret this sentiment on the 20 hour flight home, but thank the Lord for portable DVD players.
Other highlights of the year (most pale in comparison to the Solomon news of course)
--Wes saw the completion of the library he has been working on the past 4 years. It is of course beautiful and Kylia enjoys saying “Daddy I like your library.” She is so affirming, she says the same thing about all of the prisons Wes has worked on too.
--Kylia started preschool. She loves it and is learning letters and numbers, as well as Spanish in the afternoons. She is getting so grown up– she explains to ME why we can’t get Solomon yet. Even I have trouble understanding the court system in Ethiopia– it is amazing what schools teach these days..
--We found a wonderful Ethiopian woman to do Kylia’s hair. This is a huge highlight. I have regained a large portion of my life back.
--Family traveled to Hawaii to celebrate Kristin’s parents 40th wedding anniversary. It was Hawaii– beautiful, great time with family, swimming, a fantastic way to celebrate.
--We gave up our dog. A shock to some, but after 7 years and for numerous reasons, just needed some sanity back. A lovely couple two blocks away is giving her the attention she truly deserves.
--Solomon– of course. We are looking forward to returning to Ethiopia to meet him– and ask for prayers for his health. He has proven to be a tough Stout so far, but has experienced some infections already.
--Lastly– Kylia is a highlight in just about every way. She is super social and considers laundry and dishes to be toys as long as someone is playing with her. We plan to fool her in some way to get her to do our taxes next year. She has a wonderful sense of empathy and is very laid back like her father. One of her favorite expressions is “it’s ok.” (and it is NOT always ok with mommy) She loves reading -Clifford and Curious George are two big favorites– on TV or in stories. She loves to swim and is such a fish, she even snorkled in Hawaii. We are hoping that her love of babies will serve her well with her new brother, who will be sleeping in her room. Feel free to tell us how well that will work and omit the horror stories of kids waking up 10 times a night. I need to live the dream right now.
Other crazy things remain the same– Kristin is teaching and mentoring and loving it although feeling a bit challenged with time. We love our church and try to find time for exercise and rejuvenation. We cannot overstate the blessing of grandparents in Kylia’s life as well as nearby neighborhood families with kids Kylia’s age. We hope that you are well this holiday season. We have our own challenges but know that many of you have some pretty big ones too. We pray that God grants you peace in this holiday season.
Love the Stouts

Happy Fall

So now I'm even a little bit behind on my every 6 months blogging goals. Ok, ok, I know has been 9 months, but better late than never. It is almost October, and so I will try to bring it up to date with four entries from the summer.

S0- updates on family expansion- still waiting for the referral for baby brother as he is called affectionately in our household. Hoping to go in December or January- but who knows? After 16 months of "expecting," it is getting a little old, and we possibly jumped the gun in telling Kylia since 3 year olds think in minutes, not exactly months. But she is excited and will explain to anyone who will listen that we are getting baby brother in Africa, although she is not a reliable source for the timeline. Right now my best guess for a referral is somewhere between 2 weeks and 8 months. Not an exact science. We have had a wonderful summer of birthdays, travel, and Kylia's new preschool, which she loves. I am back to work, and Wes' library is pretty much done. Had a fun opening weekend after Labor Day.

Highlights of the the last few months follow, but the biggest for me is my new favorite person, Zinash, who now braids Kylia's hair. I was extremely happy to hand over that job, and you can see the difference starting with Heritage Camp pics.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Ethiopia Heritage Camp 2007

No July would be complete without our annual Ethiopian Heritage Camp in Santa Cruz. This was the first year we attended the full camp, complete with Ethiopian banquet at the end. Kylia enjoyed running around with her friends, asking them "want soup?" - her favorite question of the summer. If you were asked this, you were in. We enjoyed the chance to connect with people we knew and to meet new families with Ethiopian kids.

July 2007 - Lake Tahoe

We also got to visit Lake Tahoe in July with Grandma Judy. We attended a wedding at the lakeshore and got to ride the gondola at Heavenly.

Kylia's 2nd Birthday

Kylia celebrated her 2nd birthday with friends and family. The main activities were singing songs and eating watermelon, yes, it was a packed agenda. She loved her new kitchen and received fun foods like pizza, birthday cake, ice cream and donuts. I'm pretty sure all the food groups are represented in her kitchen, and I feel confident about the healthy eating habits she is cultivating.

June 2007 - Hawaii

Hawaii was a great time with Nana, Papa, Uncle Michael, Aunt Solmaz, and Kylia's favorite, cousin Sydney. We hit the beach and the pool, and Kylia got to see some fun sharks at the aquarium. This experience taught us that trips with kids are fun, but you can't really call them vacations. And after the plane flight, neither of us really wants to take Kylia to Ethiopia to meet her little brother. We will see if things change in the next year.

April 2007 - Kristin's Ethiopia Trip

Kristin's trip seems like a long time ago now, but she did enjoy helping to lead a team of women to Ethiopia to visit projects funded through the church. Highlights included seeing kids perform circus acts through a local youth group, and seeing the committees of Ethiopian villagers working for the social justice of 12 year old girls in a World Vision Project (saving them from forced marriages, etc.) Kristin continues to love interacting with Ethiopian people and culture, and would really love to live there and work with a project for awhile. With Wes and Kylia too of course. :)