Friend's B-day Party!

Naimi about t blow his candles.

Berhane and Salma jumping castles

Berhane was invited at a birthday party by one of his classmates. It was a fun party. Happy birthday Naimi. Ndamona had fun too.

Full Time Mom!

Who knew after years of schooling and working in the professional world, my toughest job yet would be "Full Time Mom." I don't remember sending a resume, or the interview process, but I must have impressed someone. I've had the position for two years now and heard through the grapevine that I will not be let go so long as I continue to provide plenty of juice boxes and sandwiches. For those of you thinking about taking the position, please take a moment to consider if you have the required credentials. First, understand there are no special degrees or certificates that you can acquire at a local college to prepare you for this position. All qualifications and skills are developed on the job. Secondly, the training is intense. You must be able to multi-task while functioning on less than 4 hours sleep on a daily basis. The hours are long and evening work is mandatory. Time off is an aberration. This position will also affect your personal life. Hobbies will be replaced by a mandatory reading list. Long gone are books by Mary Higgins Clarke and John Grisham. Instead you will be reading "How to Stop Your Toddler's Temper Tantrums" and "Goodnight Moon." Your taste in music will change as well. You will put on any CD that will keep a child quiet for the duration of a car ride even if that means you will be listening to Elmo singing a cappella with Big Bird. If you take the position, you will develop a new "on the job" vocabulary which will include words and phrases such as "potty", "time out", "stop hitting your sister" and of course, "hurray for nap time." You will say all of these phrases at least five times a day without exception. Additional skills will include: Getting a weeks' worth of grocery shopping completed before your children finish a box of animal crackers, cleaning the entire house before the Tom and Jerry DVD is over, and lastly, accepting that your next car will be a silver minivan with sticky seats and a zillion toys thrown on the floor. So, if you are thinking about applying for the job, consider if you can handle it. As you can see, the work is hard and the tasks complex. But luckily, the pay is excellent. Lots of hugs, kisses, smiles and giggles every day make this job worthwhile. When I accepted the position, I didn't know how difficult it would be, but I wouldn't change a thing. My long-term goal is to remain on the job, if my employers will keep me. I will check with them in a little while. They are presently taking a much needed power nap. Kiersten Bartolotta

Last Saturday!

This was a special day indeed. I took my best friend out for dinner for his birthday! We went to one of our favorite restaurant in Westlands. We ate yummy Ethiopian food, and listened to some Ethiopian songs.

Happy Birthday Brian!

Kenyan bridal shower

Eve is Sophie's Older sister. Her friends and family surprised her with a bridal shower. Sophie came all the way from Arizona, for this special day. I'm missing her already. The day before the shower, Sophie and I had fun making a video game/show for Eve's special day.

Eve Enjoying herself with a big smile.

This was truly one of the best bridal shower I have seen. The food was fantastic, the games were fun, and we laughed so hard. The advices from the married people were interesting, Oh ladies can give advices I'm telling you. Laughed so much! But, some of the advices were useful! Communication is important, find time for yourself.

Re:My friend Sophie

I met Sophie a decade ago @ Reef hotel, Mombasa. She came to support her friend who was playing a friendly volley ball game with my group. I was not interested in playing, but I decided to sit close to the beach and watch the game instead. Next to me I saw a young lady. I smiled, and she smiled back. How we began the conversation, I don't remember. In less then an hour we shared so much that we made plans to go shopping in town. Since Sophie is from Mombasa, she took me around, and helped me bargain for the best prices. This was all new to me since in Namibia most places I shopped their prices are fixed. We traveled all over Mombasa downtown, and visited the internet cafe, few tourists places paying the local fees. We talked about studying in the US a lot. She invited me to her house in Diani beach beach which was a bit far from the hotel I lived in. I gave her a silly excuse because I was scared to go. She told her entire family about me, and they all liked me even though they didn't get to meet me. Before I left Mombasa, her mom sent me beautiful Kitenges. I returned to Mombasa 10 months later, and this time I went to meet her mom, one of her sisters and her brother. This was my first time in a ferry (great experience). When I returned to Namibia, we kept in touch, and we all end up going to the States. Below is Sophie, me with my kids, her youngest sister, her mom, and her other sister. They all came to visit us in Nairobi last year September. I'm looking forward to seeing Sophie again this month.

No they didn't....

Sandra Bullock was nominated for a Worst Actress award????I have to see All About Steve to decide. She's still my favorite actress though. Last night I watched "The Blind Side." An inspiring story features Michael Oher who plays for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL. This is a must see movies!

Ndamona is almost two years old!

Ndamona Reading "Baby's 1st Kiswahili Book"

Ndamona is 23 months old now. She's looking forward to her 2nd B-day. Children grow so fast. It was just like yesterday when she turned 1. Much has changed since I posted updates about her. She can dress herself, and feed herself. She is such an independent girl. If she ask for help, she'll tell you "thank you." She thinks she's grown. A couple days ago, she picked up a toy, and started pretending like she was talking to her aunt (Nyanya) on the phone. This is common for a 1 1/2 yrs old child, then she said, "Nyanya, did you call me" I couldn't believe it! Her favorite words are: Hi mommy... Done eating food, or done doing whatever she was doing. Drink please, Every time she wakes up, she'll say hi to everyone in the house, hi Bebe, hi daddy, hi mommy. She can count from one to ten in both English and Oshiwambo, Berhane is teaching her how to count from 10-20, and she is enjoying it. Favorite movies, Dora, Elmo, Scooby Doo (She even knows the characters by names). She loves to sing too. Her favorite songs: Rain rain go away, Yimwe mbali ndatu (a song and poem I created), Itsy bitsy spider... and much more. Favorite food, yogurt, bananas, oranges, strawberries, cheese, doughnut, grapes rice, meat, greens (in a nutshell, she loves variety of food). Favorite things to do: Playing blocks, reading books, bath time, T.V, walking outside and much more.