Halloween

The kids had a great time celebrating Halloween in Canada. Our neighborhood has tons of kids so it was so fun to see the sidewalks full of trick-or-treaters. Lidiyanna dressed as a cow, Graham was a mountain climber, and Wesley decided to repeat his costume from last year-a dragon. He did add the neon green vampire teeth this year.

After the boys got back, they dumped out their candy to sort the goods. It was interesting seeing how the candy here is a little different than in the US. Smarties (which are similar to M&Ms) were a favorite to hand out to the trick-or-treaters. Another popular candy is Coffee Crisp which is similar to Kit Kats but with a bit of a coffee flavor. The kids also got several small bags of chips.

Lidiyanna hung with the boys for a while and then Tim brought her back home to help me answer the door and pass out candy. She was very good at that!

He's a star!!

Tim's new job at Nissan Canada has had many challenges. Most days, he comes home feeling overwhelmed. He works so hard and so much yet never feels like he's done enough. Despite the struggles, I know he's doing an excellent job in his new role.

He also has the opportunity to interact with journalists and reporters for the auto industry. He's been on TV and the internet. Check him out on the link below:

http://www.drivingtelevision.tv/?cid=1015

Okay, so maybe he's not a star on the big screen but he's a star in our home! I'm so proud of my hubby!!

Fun Fall Recipes

Peanut Butter Popcorn Bars or Balls

10 cups popped popcorn
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract


Place popcorn in a large bowl; set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.


Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Mix well. Pour over popcorn and mix well. Press into a buttered 9X13 pan or form into balls using buttered hands. Cool slightly.

We spent last weekend with our friends, the McKims. We met them in Ethiopia during our first trip and bonded through court dates, meeting our children for the first time, and other adventures in Addis. Even though we've only seen them three times in our lives, we consider them dear friends. We hope to get togther at least once a year. All of our children get along really well, and we're hoping for a marriage to occur somewhere between the six kids. We also think it's really important for Lidiyanna to see other families like ours and to know she's not the only person that looks different from her parents...especially as she gets older.