Ice Skating and Other Adventures...

We recently took Tem (we haven't switched to Trey yet; he is just so used to his name and this is working well for now) and Tessa ice skating downtown. They are quickly getting used to putting on all of their snow gear. All we have to say is, "Tem, Tessa. Coats!" They scurry off and find their coats, snowpants, hats, mittens, and boots. (Even if we are just running to the store)

We didn't know what to expect when we took them ice skating. Tessa's first reaction was to make a licking motion and say, "ice cream?" Nope, Tess. Ice skating. Get ready for an adventure.

Tessa was nervous right away, not even wanting to touch the ice. Tem took off on shaky legs and soon fell and hit his head. After some tears, he was right back up, determined to master this new American skill. Eventually, with our help, they seemed to be somewhat enjoying it. When we skated off the rink, both the kids said, "No, no, no." (With a wag of their finger)...They wanted to keep skating...

After the new experience, we headed out for an evening walk around downtown. Tem is quickly learning several English words. He would point to an object and tell us the word in Amharic and English. The night was great. As you can guess, both Ethiopians quickly drifted off to sleep soon after we got home :)

And here's just a few more pictures from the last couple weeks...