We didn’t get around to making a holiday letter, so Denise had a great idea of waiting until Valentine’s Day. It couldn’t be more fitting. Love has filled our house and hearts and continues to be the reason for everything we do. We hope this letter finds you loving what you do, loving your family, and loving every big and small moment this life has to offer you.
It is amazing to think that just a year and a half has passed since we brought Gierma back from Ethiopia. It seems like he has always been a part of our family. We got back to Denver August 3rd of 2009. We still had a few months before our home addition was done, so Gierma started out sleeping on a sofa-sleeper in our room. Gierma has been our son since the first moment we saw him. It continues to amaze us how well he fits in our family. From being a loving, hugging son and loving art, to being competitive and loving board games and sports, Gierma was meant to be in our family.
Gierma is thriving in first grade this year. He is doing well in all subjects, loves gym and recess, and has a lot of good friends in school and around our neighborhood. Gierma has taken swimming lessons, and has had a blast playing soccer, T-ball, basketball and learning Tai Kwon Do. We have taken him camping, sledding and to Jump Street for trampoline dodge ball. Denise has been great about having Gierma do all sorts of arts and craft projects. Denise has also led the charge to get Gierma caught up in school, including reading Bob Books, doing workbooks and practicing extra hard on school work. Steve has helped coach Gierma’s soccer and basketball teams and takes him to cub scouts meetings. Gierma loves when Tyler and Taelyn are over, listening to everything they say, wanting to do everything they do and adores them both. Tyler is great about messing around with his little bro, playing with him and roughing him up while Gierma just giggles. Taelyn is also good about defending her little brother and letting him play on the WII video game with her. No matter what he’s doing, he loves keeping busy and playing games, video games, sports and enjoys movies and TV shows.
Speaking of the older kids, Tyler is a junior at Wheatridge High School in Golden. He is getting mostly A’s & B’s, has good friends, and loves basketball, sports and trivia games. He is planning to look into University of Colorado, Colorado State University and Boise State. He has expressed an interest in advertising and marketing. Tyler is such a good kid. He is very smart, both book and street, and has a great balance between being a nice kid, having a great sense of humor and understanding how things really work. He did a great job of helping Steve work on the cabins in Neebish, Michigan this summer (Mostly scraping moss off the roof).
Taelyn is a freshman at Wheatridge High School. She is a very social girl and loves her friends. She is extremely smart and doing great in school. Taelyn wants to get a job, but is finding it tough going for a 14-year-old. She would like to be a model some day and has looked into a few agencies recently.
Denise has done an incredible job of focusing on Gierma while still finding time for painting and yoga. She has moved away from her handmade notecard business (although she still does cards upon request) and has been building up a stock of paintings. Denise is very happy to report she has decided what she wants to be... An artist! She has done over 20 paintings in the last year and a half, sold a few and has a done a few commissioned paintings. Steve loves watching her paintings come to life, and is amazed how fearless Denise is with her art. Denise is doing mostly acrylics, but has dabbled in wax, charcoal, water colors and mixed media. Once she has enough paintings she plans to have a showing in a local art gallery. We will make sure everyone knows about it. It will be a very big night! Denise has let the Wiley, Morgan and Parker Foundation relax while focusing on our family. Yet, she has still given out a few more grants. So far, Denise has helped 16 children from China and Ethiopia get adopted to 13 families. The lives of Wiley, Morgan and Parker will forever live on with these families. It is such a good feeling when a family truly embraces what the foundation stands for. The love of these families is contagious. Denise is thinking about doing one last major fundraiser, and then donating the entire lot to a charity for seed money towards a major operation. Right now, there are some great organizations in Ethiopia we are watching closely, but will take our time in deciding. On top of all of that, Denise also volunteers at Gierma’s school every week, works with the P.T.A., and organized and ran an art contest for the school.
Steve is in his 6th year at Denver Academy, and still loves his job. He has a senior homeroom and teaches Passages, Literature, and two Psychology classes (which are his favorites). He also has run the Experiential program and the Annual Fund drive. Steve loves teaching seniors, and tries hard to makes sure each student graduates with a good understanding of their needs, strengths, who they are, and what steps they need to take to get where they want to go. It’s a very tough job sometimes, but seeing the kids truly ‘get it’ makes it all worthwhile. Steve has also picked up a few tutoring jobs for extra income. This summer Steve plans to ride in the Crazy Horse ride to help honor Lakota veterans. His friend Jerome High Horse, from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, will help him with the details. It is a 4-5 day ride from Fort Robinson to Pine Ridge. Steve is very honored to be allowed a chance at this ride and can’t wait to experience this chance of a lifetime. His major concern is his complete lack of horse riding experience and wondering how he will walk again afterwards.
Carly, our Golden (we took the retriever off since she doesn’t retrieve anything) is doing great. She is 10 ½ years old, but still has a lot of puppy in her. She loves life and is constantly wagging and thumping her tail. She loves her tennis balls, hikes, walks, getting brushed by Gierma and just wants to be wherever we are. Elsy, our oldest cat, is fine and our lover girl, rubbing up against us and purring. Apsen, 4, is our middle cat and has finally adjusted to our new kitten George. They chase each other around and beat each other up. George was rescued at 4 weeks old nearly blind from eye infections. The vet could only save one eye, but other than that, he is a great kitten. He loves to snuggle and purrs loudly the instant you pet or hold him. Our house is always an entertaining with the animals and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
The past few years have been an amazing experience for our entire family. It is humbling and inspiring to see how easily Gierma has accepted our family and our love. He is a constant reminder of how amazing life can be and how we have angels looking out for us and guiding us. Watching Tyler and Taelyn mature into young adults has been incredible. While it tugs at our hearts to see them growing away, we know that is a positive sign they are getting ready to figure out their lives and find their own path. Denise and Steve continued to be amazed at the support and love from the Ethiopian community and the international adoption community in Denver. It is truly a humbling and spiritual experience to be a part of. We are looking forward to each new year of learning, discovery and love. The world is a wondrous place, our lives are a gift, and we are truly blessed to have our family and friends support and love us. Thanks for every big and little thing you do for us, for sharing our journey, and mostly for being a part of our lives. We love you all so very much! Mitakuye Oyasin! (We Are All Related!)
Steve, Denise, Tyler, Taelyn, Gierma, Carly, Elsy, Apsen & George Livingston.
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