Haircut Anyone?!?!

What do you do when your daughter has been asking for her hair to be cut for over a year? And, you desperately want it cut too because it takes you at least six LONG hours on your feet to wash, brush and rebraid!  What do you do when you live in a country where beauticians have never seen her kind of hair…its volume or curliness?!?  Well, desperate times call for desperate measures…so you cut it yourself!

It was one of the scariest things I have ever done…well maybe not…but it was pretty scary!  You know when you make the first cut…there is NO going back…and the first cut was a doozy!  I was trying to be extra careful not to cut too much off…trying not to extend the curls so that we could get an accurate cut, with the goal of leaving her hair well below her shoulders. But…after the first cut, her hair bounced above her shoulders and I about lost it.  Well, like I said…there was no going back…so after I composed myself…I just kept cutting.

I couldn’t believe all the hair that I cut off.  The aftermath looked like a small dog laying in a heap on the ground.  I can’t guarantee that it’s a quality hair cut…well actually I can guarantee quite the opposite since this was my very first hair cut ever!  But, I have one very happy and extremely gorgeous little Ethiopian princess who is ecstatic about her hair…which make her mommy over the moon joyful!  Not to mention that doing her hair now only takes about 30 minutes as opposed to six hours, even though I have to brush it every day now.

I hope you enjoy these pictures from our hair cut day…Isn’t she beautiful!?!

Oh, the Places You Will Go

Our line of work has given us the opportunity to experience more of the world than we ever dreamed we would.  Just last month, our family traveled to Malaysia for a company gathering.  Every two years we gather on either side of the world for a time of connecting, training, collaborating, and refreshing.  We absolutely love our company and all they do to encourage us, fill us up, keep us healthy, and challenge us to grow. 

One of the things we love most about our company is how they care so deeply and intentionally for our children.  Our kids always have such rich experiences with those who teach and care for them while we are in our meetings.  What’s more, these gatherings give our children an opportunity to connect with other TCKs (third culture kids).  It is so much fun to see our kids connecting with their friends from all over the world and picking up right where they left off two years ago without even missing a beat.   

One of our favorite things about our company gatherings is a half-day outing where we have the chance to get away from meetings and experience the culture of the country in which we are meeting.  We enjoyed walking the streets of the city, tasting the local cuisine, and taking in the sites.  It was so much fun to see Kailynne hanging out with some people her own age during this time as well...Of course, WE ARE pretty cool people (Haha!) but everyone needs people their own age to connect with.  We were truly grateful for this time for her as well.

We had a great week with our company and we look forward to sharing more of the details with you in the near future.  Until then, we hope that you will enjoy some pictures from our time away…