Soccer, Injera and Pumpkins

If you misread the title as "Soccer Injuries and Pumpkins," well, that's understandable, given my ungraceful ways and tendency to hurt myself. Actually, injera is Ethiopian bread. (More on that in a bit...)

We are still waiting to hear about a court date in Ethiopia for Baby. Meanwhile, we are gathering a few items to send to the care center in Addis Ababa, including a baby blanket and pictures of our faces, which will be taped up in her crib.

We had an enjoyable family weekend that included the annual trek to the pumpkin patch, where we found some good-looking specimens for our upcoming favorite celebration. After we chose our pumpkins the kids and I gave the corn maze a try. It was difficult enough that after 15 minutes Gracie and I had to cheat and crash through the rows to find our way out, and Abby and Ethan backtracked and came out the entrance. Thankfully no one had to go to the bathroom while we were lost among the cobs.

That night we took the kids to Fasika, arguably the best Ethiopian restaurant in the area. They had sampled Ethiopian food just once before, and not much of it. At Fasika we ordered two kinds of wot (stew), which we ate in traditional Ethiopian manner: without utensils. Instead of forks or spoons, you use injera, a soft, spongy pancake-like bread. Injera is made in large circles and the stews are spooned on top in small mounds. To eat, pieces of the injera are torn off and used to scoop up the food. Injera has a slightly tangy flavor and a light and airy texture. It is made from a grain called teff, a staple in Ethiopia. Ethan and Abby liked their food quite a bit. (And for The Boy, eating without utensils is always a bonus). Gracie was a good sport and gave it a try, but she wasn't a big fan.

Other weekend highlights included a double-header for Randy and me in our coed adult soccer league. This is the league where we compete against teams made up of college-age athletes who routinely make mincemeat of us old folks. For this reason our 2-2 tie felt like a World Cup victory. Go Muscle Strains! (And yes, that is actually our team name).

Fred showed us his true hound dog colors when he caught a bunny in the backyard. Just when you start to feel like your beloved canine family member is one step away from being able to actually have a conversation with you, you look out the window and see him having his fill of a raw bunny. Yuck.