I can't believe it's Friday already!

Monday we got up early to get back to the guest house in time for lunch and a little rest before our embassy appointment. (This is when the girls got their US visas... it's the last step in the process there.) That evening we went out to dinner with all of the families as a treat from Dr Tsegaye (the main man with Wide Horizons in Ethiopia).
Tuesday we just played all day. The girls started staying with us that night. Each morning we took them back to the big kids' house in the morning for breakfast. Eldana would then go to school and Abigia would play with her group. They also stayed there for lunch and nap. We would go over and play while they were there through the day. We decided to do it that way so they could have a gradual transition with us and to allow Eldana more time with her friends.
Wednesday we went out for lunch. We tried to go to an Orthodox church to look around, but our timing was bad and we would have interrupted a service.
Thursday we went out shopping all day with all of the other families. A Wide Horizons employee drove us around to a mall and several shops. It was a lot of fun, but by the end of the day we were ready to get back and see the girls. Eliana went shopping with us and spent a lot of time hanging out with Mulat, our driver. He even bought her a little drum. We bought so much stuff! It really was a fun day.
Friday we packed up and got ready to come home. In the afternoon we attended the coffee ceremony. At the coffee ceremony there were snacks (and coffee), singing and dancing. It's the last chance for the kids to say goodbye to their nannies and some of their friends. Dr Tesgaye gave a nice talk and we tried to express our gratitude to the nannies and everyone at Horizon House. It was a really emotional afternoon. Honestly, I had about 20 minutes of feeling incredibly overwhelmed as we finished our packing and got ready to leave.
Our flight out was at 10:15 that night, so we left for the airport before 7. The trip home was LONG. Eliana had caught a cold and seems to be teething, so she felt miserable. Abigia started puking a couple of hours into the flight and didn't stop until Sunday morning. Matt and I had both caught colds and were just exhausted from the week. Add in the many, many hours in a plane and some serious jetlag.... we were not at our best. But, we did the best we could and we all made it home. Again, thank goodness Katie was there. She cleaned up puke, fetched anything we needed and helped look after Eldana while we tended the sick babies.

OK, that was rushed and a very quick round-up, but that gets through the basics of the trip.
I'll be back later to tell you more about the girls, Horizon House, and how things are going here at home.