Hello all.

This is Ilka, Karleen's sister-in-law, updating their blog. The Klopps are probably in the air on their way to Ethiopia right now! Anyway, they are not able to use blogger over there, so Karleen set up a wordpress account, that they will hopefully be able to use to update us during their trip. Use the address below to go to that page.

kloppfamily6.wordpress.com.

Need a Gift Idea?

Rent this!

Angels in the Dust. You can find it on Netflix. It was eye-opening in many ways, and an amazing story. You can read more about it at Dream Out Loud.

Updated Pictures

Proof that we are still alive and well! ;)

Thanks Josh, nice bunny ears!

A nice blustery day at Edmonds beach!

Lance's Grandma, Happy 90th!

My and my grandpa, happy 85th!

Life Goes On....

In the midst of utter chaos! We leave in 11 days. Newsworthy items:

*We have over 300 pair of NEW shoes donated and and at least another 100 gently used pairs to bring. We have purchased shoes in Addis (in large quantities) twice in the last year and the quality is not great. We decided this trip to make shoes our priority. We are starting to pack orphanage items tomorrow night as a team.

*All 6 of us visited the Travel Nurse last week. She had a spreadsheet ready! We had a 3 hour block of time scheduled, and luckily made it out sooner.

We all got the Flu "mist" (50 percent more effective that the shot last year). Sami and Tsion caught up on a couple vaccines. Our typhoid shot (good for 2 years) expired, so Lance, Zach, Josh and I all got the Typhoid pill....which lasts 5 years. The negative is you have to take 4 pills every other day, on an empty stomach. (Which means 2 hours empty, then one hour till food) A pain in the rear especially on Thanksgiving!

We walked out with a prescription for Malaria pills (we will be in Nazret for 4 days, although we only saw one mosquito last year we will take it), an anti-diarreahal (a good thing to have!) and Ambian for Lance and I.....although I may rethink that later....just Kiddin!!! And...no, I have not picked them up yet, and I will probably have to pick up an anti-anxiety pill first, cuz I am sure it is well over $500. Yikes!

*We celebrated Lance's grandmas 90th birthday last week!

*Lance's Mom received her Doctorate 2 weeks ago.

*Tsion was listening as I asked Lance to do something, and he didn't hear me. She looked at me and said. "Mom, sometimes Husbands don't do what you tell them. But you still have to love them because we are a family." Speaking of which.......

*Lance and I got a free night at the Red Lion, and spent a relaxing couple days in Seattle last weekend.

*We discovered the ExOfficio store in Seattle, and headed straight to the clearance room. We got some great lightweight clothes for the trip, for a fraction of the cost. And just so you all know, we will be packing 3 pair of underwear from there as well. ;)

*Zach and Sami have two more "outdoor" soccer games, Josh starts indoor soccer this weekend.

*We are finalizing our trip projects. The first few days in Addis will be important as we work on that. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for us during that time.

Happy November!

Since I am so lame at blogging lately, I will at least leave you with this last video...maybe till January! We leave the 13th of December for Addis. (Note to mail thief: we have in-laws who now live here. Do not steal my Christmas cards this year!) Tsion and Sami will get to visit thier 4 month old sister, and we will be working on projects in Addis, as well as holding Young Life camp again.

One cute Tsion story. We found a pumpkin outfit on sale for $1. We grabbed it for her baby sister Eyrus. Sami was like "no, no way." Tsion looked at him in her semi-sweet and sassy way and said "I can decorate my sister however I want!!"

You can pray for our group and trip in December. We are dealing with some corruption in the orphanage we have been supporting the last year. The goverment in Ethiopia is involved, and we are not sure what will end up happening. More importantly, please pray for all 100 kids who are and are wrapped up in the mess.

Enjoy your family this Thanksgiving!

Ta-Da!

Did you notice? Sami got his contacts. It is so great not to have to worry about glasses and sports, and going to get the adjusted all the time cuz they are falling off!! His vision without glasses was around 20/2200. With glasses it was about 20/40. Now it is 20/25! Having the lens on his eyes helped that much. He is VERY exited about showing them off to his family and friends in Ethiopia!

Happy Halloween?

We did, I s'pose, have a "Happy Halloween." We have not celebrated Halloween for a few years, mostly because of my eldest. When he was around 8, the night started freaking him out. He has a discerning spirit, and he was asking "Why do we celebrate this night?"

So, while everyone is chatting about political flip-flopping, this year we flip-flopped on Halloween. The kids wanted to dress up, and hang out with their friends. We dug thru the Young Life bins, and came up with costumes....(except for Tsion, I had found her a cheerleading costume at Goodwill). Then, we did what everyone does...get in the car and drive to the "cool neighborhood." This neighborhood is almost completely blocked off, and cars have to park on the main road. There are kids EVERYWHERE! It was crazy. Will we do it next year? Maybe, but I would rather just buy a big bag of candy and stay home. ;) Zach did rename the night, he called it the "get-as-much-candy-as-you-can-night."

I happened to snap this as the smoke machine off!

Digging thru their stuff, they couldn't wait till they got home!

This was actually someones house! The yards here were decked out. You can see the ghost on the top right, he was going back and forth on a pulley system.

Pumpkin Party

This week we went to a pumpkin party at one of my friends house. She has the coolest set up for kids. They turned their garage into a "game room" with everything a kid could want! PS3, big screen, bean bags, 2 pin ball machines, a driving video game, and even a real Mrs. Pac-Man for us moms. ;) A great way to entice the high-school/middle school kids to hang out at YOUR house! (And yes, Sami is missing.....he was in HUGE trouble, and stayed at home with Lance's parents......)

I have a Wyldlifer

Really? Is is possible my oldest is 'officially' in Wyldlife?

Got Ketchup?

We go thru ketchup way too fast around here. And yes Mom, I know how much sugar it has. Tsion hated ketchep when she came, now her and Josh cannot get enough. It has to be on the hotdog, as well as a "dipping" place. Imagine how happy I was to find this at Wal-Mart the other day. On another note, I say a guy at Costco the other day with a shirt that says "I put Ketchup on my Ketchup."

Starbase Atlantis

Sami's classs was able to partipate in the "Starbase Atlantis" program at the nearby Naval station. They had a series of 5 full day field trips, and at the end of the program they built and launched a rocket. They had so much fun! We all got base access, and were able to watch. Sami's rocket did not go the first time, but he was the only kids who actually scored a goal upon landing! :)

Fundraising Letter

The kids are helping us write our letter for December....here is what they are looking forward to!

I am most excited about going to Legedadi. We did a lot of work there last time. It was very cool to give them all shoes and toys and to be able to see how grateful they were. They would love anything we gave them, even one pack of bubbles. I can’t wait to go there and see all the people and help them with their needs. ~Zach

I cannot wait for Alemwok to make me French fries again, and to play four square with the kids. ~Josh

I want to go to Ethiopia because I want to help people. I liked to give out shoes and shirts to the kids. I want to help them get food. I like to pass out stickers and books. ~Tsion

I want to go to Ethiopia because I want to see my family. It was fun giving out clothes at the orphanage, the kids look cute. I like all the dancing at the camp. I like everything that we can buy, and eating at Fin Fine. It was fun having John and Tamrat help us with everything. ~Sami

The following is something we have to work on:

I told Tsion she needed to think of some reasons to share why she wants to go back to Ethiopia. I knew the answer before it came out. She looks at me, head and sholders moving all around.... "I don't want to go to Ethioipa." Miss Sassy Pants.

Vote for Yohannes Gebregeorgis

Go to CNN to vote now for Yohannes Gebregeorgis who is making a difference in Ethiopia.

October 16~World Food Day

By Collins Kaumba,
World Vision Zambia, and Jessie Lester
World Vision U.S.

Esther Malungo, 72, shares a drink containing Busika, a sour-tasting fruit, with her grandchildren whose parents were lost to AIDS. In an area of Zambia where the food crisis is especially severe, the family has no other good source of nutrition.Photo ©2008 Collins Kaumba/World Vision At 72 years old, Esther Malungo should be able to slow down and let others take care of her. She shouldn't have to worry about basic survival. Yet in Zambia's food-deficient Sinazongwe district, where Esther lives, reality has placed her in a situation she could have never imagined.

It's a reality shaped by droughts, flooding, and HIV and AIDS. Her husband died in 2004, and last year, she lost her three grown children to AIDS. Esther found herself alone, trying to provide for her three young grandchildren in a region already suffering from the effects of drought. Then, during the 2007-2008 farming season, the floods came. Sinazongwe was one of Zambia's hardest-hit districts.

Go to World Vision to read more and how you can help!

Pumpkin Patch

We went to a local pumpkin patch this week. I made sure to pack my camera, and even extra batteries. When we got there....no memory card. The only reason we went was to take pictures!! :) We had fun in the corn maze, and did not purchase any pumpkins, as they were priced from $10-20. This picture will remind me never to use the Motorola Q for a picture!

Yes,

I have dropped off the face of the earth. :) To blog or to facebook, is the question. FB, at least you do not have to think.


Still cannot get into the swing of things with school. HIGH maintenance. Then, we had a boy last week tell Sami "No girl will ever like you because you are short, have a small head, wear glasses, are black, and play soccer to much." Alright, not sure about the soccer bit! Something that I knew would come up at some point, but in 5th grade? Luckily we have a great school that was been wonderful about addressing this.


To add to the already pain in the butt week, we have a select soccer coach who sends out e-mails like this:


"IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH HOW THIS WAS HANDLED THATS NICE..... BUT STILL NOT YOUR BUSINESS. THE LAST TIME I CHECKED I WAS THE COACH. THIS GAME IS MUCH HARDER THAN PARENTS COULD EVER UNDERSTAND."


Oh yes, there is much more. Anyone want to join our select league? Really, what a shining example for my 10 and 11 year olds. Never mind the swearing at public school, just attend one of our games where the coach tells his players they played like c**p every week. Why do people like this want to coach??

Adding to the chaos is Lance's biggest fundraiser of the year (our salary) and we are scheduled to leave for Addis in 8 weeks!! AGH! You can pray for us. ;)

Morning Routine

This is Tsions morning routine, singing in the shower. Today was "You are my strength You are my God."

The Boys

I know this month has lacked in pictures! But I do have 3 funny stories to write, one from each boy.

Zach:

So, I (me) am getting a tad stressed on Ethiopia details....i.e. where 30 people are going to sleep for 2 weeks while we are there. Communication is fairly nil when you are dealing with details there. Zach, who at 11 can be so wise says "Mom, you will never know anything until you get there, it is Ethiopia!"

Sami:

This must come from growing up in Addis. You are either Orthodox, Christian, or Muslim. I am not sure if you are defined by that? But Sami is insistent on asking all his new friends if they are a Christian. So, he asked a friend the other day at school....."Are you a Christian?" His friend replied "No, I am a *" (Sami could only remember the first letter, and I do not want to offend anyone) :)) Sami then tells me he is a * and does not go to church and gets to watch football on Sundays!

Josh:

Mr. I hate showers. "Mom, I will take a shower today, but then I am going to sit down with my arms folded for the next two weeks, and not move so I do not get stinky again."

Gotta love your kids.

Two Things.....

I have learned this week.

1. Rust comes off cast iron with a potato and dish soap. How???

2. Rollers + metal clips + hair spray + hot air from a ceramic hair dryer = an extreme amount of hair loss. Do not try it at home, take my word for it. :)

Lucy Comes to Seattle

Sami, January 07, above

Lucy, in Addis, below

I cannot remember what the above skeleton is (just liked the pix of Sami)....but below is supposedly Lucy. Now, this Lucy was shoved in the far corner of the basement at the National Museum in Addis. So, the chances are pretty slim it was actually her. ;)

So, Lucy is in Seattle now, at the Science Center. Here is great article that tells you what to expect during this exhibit.

This Culteral Celebration is coming up as well, mark your calenders Seattleites! I wish we could be there, but we will be in Addis. I will check the National Museum and see if the bones are still there.......

Lucy's Legacy: Ethiopian Cultural Celebration

Pacific Science Center December 26, 2008- January 4, 2009

Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasures Of Ethiopia exhibit makes its west coast premier at Pacific Science Center this fall. In honor of this exhibit, Pacific Science Center has teamed up with local Ethiopian communities in an effort to bring you this special event. Lucy's Ethiopian Cultural Celebration will feature art, music, history, and entertainment from the land Lucy once called home.

Have fun!

First Referee Paycheck!

I told him keep it up! :) On another note, I just heard the other day if your child gets into Stanford, and your family makes under 100,000 your tuition is covered. THEN, if you make under 60,000 your room and board (47,000) is covered! No student loan! The pressure is on...... ;)

Poor girl......

A couple weeks after we came home from Wildhorse, Lance had to go to Malibu. Tsion was bawling and so sad. She wanted him to take one of her dolls with him, but it would not fit in his suitcase, so we decided to write this note instead.

I miss you.

I am sad.

I love you.

I do not know why you are going to camp.

I do not want you to leave.

I am sorry that you will be missing me.

**Notice that she made sure we all had belly buttons!

Note from Zach

I found this in his home school work from last year (sniff sniff) :) I am sure it was an assignment I gave him to write how much he loved me...but I cannot remember.

I love my Mom. Because she helps us with lots of things. And because she cares about us. Also she knows what we like and what we don't. I love my Mom.

And.....she makes me go to middle school.......I love my mom. I have this on the fridge for him to remember!

Is there a YL staff wives support group??

This is where Lance is the last couple days. A Young Life staff meeting. If I said they really did meet all day, you would not believe me anyway. I did have to give him a hard time on the phone..."Are you having fun on the waterslides with your friends?"

Maybe this is what they looked like, those crazy YL'ers...


It only took 3 slides for Lance's motion sickness to kick in. Ha! I told him he deserved it. Aren't I a nice wife? ;)

Dr. Visit

We had our 2nd official yearly checkup last week. In case you were wondering after 20 months home, this is what we are dealing with:


*Still a scalp issue for Tsion, which I just found out is not a fungus, but bacterial. I am not sure how putting an ointment on the pussy/pimple bumps on her head is going to help....been there, done that.


*Sami has complained of stomach problems for awhile, and tested positive for H. pylori ....more
anti-biotics (although after giving him grapefruit seed extract, it has not bothered him since!)


*Tsion "failed"her vision test at a guesstimated 20/40 vision...off to the eye doctor again. Fail is an interesting word, since Sami eyes are 20/2200. 20/40 is not bad! Last year she wanted glasses....right now it is a tough sell.


*Phenomenal growth all around. Dr. Bledsoe said "this is why I do this job, to see these kids blossom!"

And, I forgot to pass on a skin tip I go this summer from a Pediatric skin Dr. at camp, (woohoo, free visit!) it is VASELINE. It has worked wonders. I have bought everything under the sun the last year (Carol's Daughter, stuff from the health food store....) Tsion had blotches on her cheeks from the sun and chlorine, and it cleared it right up. Plus, it is right in our budget!

It's All About Soccer at MY House.....(and fantasy football!)

I boycotted all soccer on Saturday! I had a relaxing day ALONE cleaning my house....the cleaning part, not fun. Josh had another game on Sunday, and Sunday Zach also ref'd his first
U-8 game on Sunday. He earned his first real paycheck of $10. He thinks he is pretty cool!

Josh was very proud of this, cuz he said no foul was called. :)

Zach as game ref

Disclaimer....do not look for action pics of Sami and Zach playing soccer. They play full field, and it is much harder to get a good shot!

The Dish Man

Last week we had to have our dish/cable box replaced. Sami and Tsion can home when he was in the driveway, and Tsion freezes, and looks at me. "He IS Ethiopia." First things first, I say "shhhh!" Then whisper no, he is from America. "But he is this...." and she points to her face. I had thought we were over that assumption that dark skin = Ethiopia. She then proceeded to play gracious host, and brought him a diet coke....and phew, her braids (which I did not do) passed the test. ;)

Free Coffee!

Free Starbucks for homeschoolers (moms!) :)

Starbucks offers free coffee for homeschool parents

Thanks to the work of HSLDA, homeschool parents can pick up a complimentary tall size cup of Pike Place Roast from Starbucks this Monday, September 29th. This promotion is part of Starbucks "Great Start for Great Teachers" promotion. To pick up your coffee, you will need to present evidence that you are a homeschool parent. Any one item on the following list should be accepted by Starbucks:

*Home School Legal Defense Association membership card.
*Membership card from a state homeschooling organization.
*Notification from a school district or state government recognizing compliance with compulsory attendance.
*Paperwork submitted showing intent to establish a homeschool program.
*Paperwork showing the establishment of a private school.

Now....I just need my "proof!" Do you think my 9 year old would be enough? ;)

Back to School Pix Take 2

So, Sami erased all my first day pics. Here they are 3 weeks later....10 years from now, we will not know the difference (or 20...)

I could not get a decent smile from Zach, so this was me saying "I love you mom, you are the best mom in the world" sarcastic smile!

They decided to take the bus to school this week.....

Sami, who wants contacts so bad....his glasses are cramping his style.

I have stayed away from any Princess clothes till now, but at least this is just Tinkerbell!

I Love the Gap

I walked into the Gap the other day, and they had just marked a ton of girl's stuff down to $1.47. With Ethiopia on my mind, I started making piles of clothes and shoes. I got linen/cotten dresses, pants, sandals and flip flops. I spent $194 and got $1977 in clothes and shoes. I need to start packing!

What I was doing while I was not blogging last week....

I swear this looks like my yearbook pics in 1980 something!

1960, I look like my mom. ;)

1970's....

Go try it, I never figured it out completely and had a heck of a time saving them....but it was too funny!

Surprise!

Sami and Tsion have a new sister. A new step-sister (but she would never be thought of that in Ethiopia) was born last month to their dad and step-mom. Last December, we met their step-mom. So, a new baby was always in the back of my mind. When Sami hung up the phone a couple weeks ago he said sheepishly "mom, I have to tell you something." I knew immediately what it was. Initially he was irritated. I sure would be! He still wants to keep it a secret (oops, do not tell him!) and we have not told Tsion yet. She will have a fit! I know it will be something that they always have to work through.

So, her name is Yerusalem, Yerus for short. She is about 6 weeks old, and we will see her in 3 months.

Animal Planet in our Backyard

This is what we came home to the other day. It was really sweet and cute UNTIL I went and checked the garden. Not so cute. Tops of all my tomatoes and my raspberries GONE. They walked right in thru my garden door. It looked like a weed whacker had come thru. Now, every time they come, the mom and I have a stare down as she eyes my garden. ;)

**Sorry for the shakiness, Lance and I were having a discussion whether or not I was actually filming cuz it was on a setting he has not used before. I am glad it was a quiet discussion. ;)

You would think.....

I would have LOTS of time to blog with one child at home!! NOT. I am exhausted!! I will have to bullet point, I know at least my family wants some specifics of our week.

*First off, having Zach in school is interesting. From home-school to middle school (when home schoolers pull their kids out, I put mine in!) For Zach's first day of school, I heard about a couple of his friends trying on outfits for their first day. Zach could care less. When I went to tuck him in, there was a pile on the floor in the corner (which looked like laundry.) "THAT is what I am wearing, over there." Yes, the pile in the corner. I am so glad that he does not care! It reminds me of a day last month when we were in Goodwill. "Mom, I need a coat." Gotta love it, when your son reminds you that in Goodwill! :)

Last week I was sitting in the midst of Zach and some friends a couple weeks back. A couple of them started talking about "nerds." I was so glad that Zach has a bunch of different friends. I mean nerds, in 6th grade?

On that note, I will always remember which friend said that. ;)

We started with a full day of school, which was not ideal. We dropped P.E., (like our kids need anymore P.E.!) so then, we had an 1 1/2 break, where we connect and do homework. But by the end of last week, the break was 45 minutes, because he wanted to go back for lunch.

*Would you like to move to Wisteria Lane?? Move here. This is where we had our soccer game (2 hour commute) last weekend. While I was tempted for a minute (a Starbucks I can walk to?) I was very glad to get back to our small town, and house in the woods!

*We had our first Ethiopia planning meeting this week. Tonight, my eldest bio (Zach) said "I cannot wait to go back." Africa is truly in his blood. Josh on the other hand, wants to go back for the french fries that our cook Alemwork made us. ;)

*This week Sami tested almost a 3 (4 tests out of the program) on his ELL test. I will never let him live down what she said. "You were home schooled last year? Your mom must be a good teacher." I got a good laugh. Good job home school Moms everywhere! :)

*Thought I would never say this, I love air soft guns. It keeps my boys occupied FOREVER!

*We got a new hand me down couch today. My other one had tears everywhere, which we covered with a pain in the butt slip cover. I wish I could post before and after pics, but I am too embarrassed. ;) Anyways, we got a call, and took out the seats of the suburban and were there in 15 minutes!

That is it in a nutshell! We love school, and Josh is doing great getting his school done at home, We have soccer, football games, and soon to be Jazz class for Tsion, and a referree job for Zach. Phew, and I ONLY have 4 kids! :)

Back To School

So...this school thing is very high maintenance! Gone are the days when we slept in, read, went on walks and field trips...bring on the stress, parent forms, permission slips, and driving in the car...ALL day long! "Do your have homework, do your reading and quick! eat before soccer practice. Set your alarm for 6:30." UGH! I thought having your kids in school was supposed to be easy! I paid the "no guilt" $ for the PTSA, you have to draw the line somewhere.


Zach started "middle school" which is grades 6,7, and 8. It is very strange to say your child attends "PMS." Could you not keep it a Junior High for that reason?? Who wants a sweatshirt with PMS on it? Then, try and explain that to your 11 year old son.....Anyway.....from homeschooling since Kindergarten to middle school is a heck of a jump. We had a rough first day, but it seems he is settling in okay.


Sami and Tsion, piece of cake. They both have great teachers, and I love their school. Their school is actually on tribal land.....for our back to school night we had a salmon dinner!

SO, happy night. I JUST realized one child (SAMI) must have erased all the BTS pics that I took that morning. This nice mom, who finally let him take pics during a soccer game today. Too bad he is sleeping, cuz I am about to strangle him!!!!!!

Do You Believe In Me?

Check out this amazing kid!

Labor Day

*The power went out, on our road only (5 houses), no warning, no time to fill the tub.

*It went out 40 minutes before our extended family arrived for a bar-b-q.

*I told all the guys they had to use the woods...and the girls....do not flush!!

*We see an iffy car parked down our driveway and call the police. The police come, find drug paraphernalia, and (I quote) "a HUGE fricken bear" in our woods. Excuse the language, but it was funny, he was freaked out! The bear scared him to death. Investigation over. ;)

*We do what any responsible parents would do, go on a bear hunt. Zach reminds me that bears can run 30 MPH. We did make the kids stay on the road, but we did not see the bear.

*6 hours later, no power, they have to dig out an underground cable. We head to Starbucks to use the bathroom and wash our hands (and get coffee!)

*Drug guy is back, but leaves as we do, and after we had called 911.

*Stop at the store for 10 gallons of water to flush with, and barely make it up the driveway past the huge hole PSE is digging.

*Power comes on at 9, just as the kids are heading upstairs with their lanterns! Feels just like Addis. :)



On the bear hunt. Could she be any more serious??

Oh My Goodness....

Next week, I will have 3 kids (of 4)....in school....all day....for the first time EVER.

Home Again, Home Again

This is how I feel....

To market, to market,
To buy a fat pig,
Home again, home again,
Jiggety jig.

To market, to market,
To buy a fat hog,
Home again, home again,
Jiggety jog.

To market, to market,
To buy a plum bun,
Home again, home again,
Market is done.

Only it is never done, just starts all over!

We headed to Lake Chelan for the last camping trip of the summer. I was hoping to use up all of my sunscreen, but it was 20 degrees colder than usual! Chalk it up to a Washington Auctober, where all of my tomatoes are still green. :/

The only way to get rid of Josh's shoes were to burn them....yes, we did feel environmentally guilty (or embarrassed from the smell) and pulled the shoe off.

We actually knitted and wore that hats we made it was so cold!!

Carving wooden knives.....