Abegail's Song

About once a week Akins wants to see Abegail and that means he wants to look at her singing the potty song on the Richardson's blog. This morning I decided to record Akin's version of it. So here it goes.


TAKE 2

Meeting more family!

Mom's brother Del and his wife Sondie are in town visiting. The idea of Uncles, Aunts and Cousins is a whole new concept to Akins. So, after meeting Uncle Del and getting it that he is Mom's brother Akins asked to go see Uncle Jim all the way home last night. I guess I will be calling my brother-in-law Jim this weekend to get a little Uncle Jim time in. Pretty cute stuff! Here's how hanging out with Uncle Del and Aunt Sondie looks. He is even given out kisses. (Sorry for the quality - camera phone oh well there is always tomorrow for quality photos).

Akins Birthday Present

As most of you know we don't really know when Akins was born but his official birthday is coming soon - October 1. Today his major birthday gift was delivered and due to its size could not be coordinated on his exact birthday. Additionally, we are having a party on the 29th and thought it would be a good thing to have for that day. He had a really good reaction to his first birthday present in America!

The bad hair cut, sunglasses, caterpillars and tractors!

There is something about sunglasses all kids like - but some of them just can't get the concept of which end is up!


Note the bumpy and uneven cut - yep that's my doing all right!


The following puzzled look is about catepillars and butterflies. We've been working through this for a couple of weeks now. We've had as Mom would as a "bumper crop" of caterpillars this year for whatever reason and Akins is real concerned about their preservation as he is awaiting the day of the butterfly. A caterpillar is in his path and he is asking me to move it to a more safe location. Of course he won't do it because that would mean he would have to touch it and while he does not want them to get hurt he also is not sure he trusts them. There was a butterfly exhibit at the fair so...the concern is now intensified.

Well, when the cycle (bicycle) gets boring or there are simply too many caterpillars to overcome, there is always the tractor and I think he may even have the sunglasses on correctly this time! Most of the time he wears them in such a way it looks like he was born with a deformity of his ears.

A day at the fair

Let's just say Akins is a thrill seeker. If he had it his way he would have gone on all the BIG rides. But, he was satisfied to ride just about every little kids ride he could get on. Here are a few of the highlights. Oh, and cotton candy can easily be confused with tissue - he wiped his face with it!

Hippopotamus and the Tortoise

My sister shared this story and a few photos today. Since I am technically challenged with the photos of the fair I think I'll share this sweet story.

Much of life can never be explained but only witnessed."

- Rachel Naomi Remen, MD

NAIROBI (AFP) - A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise in an animal
facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said.

The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean , then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.

"It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park , told AFP.

"After it was swept away and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother.Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond.

They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist added. "The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it followed its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother," Kahumbu added.

"The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years," he explained.

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

This is a real story that shows that our differences don't matter much when we need the comfort of another. We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures of God,

"Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together."

This pretty much sums up Inernational adoption. We certainly don't look like we belong together but we sure are living together in a fantastic harmony. (Well most times!)

Save the Earth... it's the only planet with chocolate.