In praise of Sprinklers, Gap Kids & Encased Meats

{Pictures: Mesfin singing the ancient song of praise to the God of Sprinklers, the kids styling it up on momma's lap, and Mari's first joyous taste of the holy Johnsonville brat (with mustard and katchup) - they love them!!}

We don't know what's been so hard about this "transition". Mom and (especially) Dad have been jawing a blue streak about how tired they are and how everything's changed. Hey, you try going from living in a hut with cattle and our 8 brothers and sisters to 400 count (ONLY! -they - the parents - have 1200 count by the way) percale sheets and Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion slathered everywhere - to say nothing about brushing our baby teeth every flippin day. Did I mention box cereal over sourgham mush (don't turn your nose up till you've tried it). Well anyways......things are going way better than the reports you've been hearing. We're getting to sleep by 8:30pm and up around 5:30-6am (we fall back to sleep in mom and dad's bed for another hour (did I mention 1200 count percale?). Then its up in the morning pretending we really don't understand English while we gibber in fake Ethiopian. Gosh, YOU SHOULD SEE THEIR FACES!!!!! Mari and I just about bust a gut! And I've got a gut to bust but that's another story. We have breakfast - usually 12 courses since we pretend we don't like anything and make them do the high hurdles trying to please us. Mari does this thing - really she does this - where she'll hold her stomach and act like she starving!! Our parent's are such goofs - they buy the whole thing hook-line-and-sinker (what ever that means)!!!

Then we get the folks downstairs after running around the house knowing we should get dressed for an hour. Once we're in the stroller one of us gives the signal and shouts out Shint (Amharic for - I'm going to pee my pants any second). We promised each other we're going to stop that one cuz the veins in Dad's neck start bulging and he start using words that Momma keeps saying are bad to say but he keeps saying them anyways. We think we might be going too far although Mari is not totally signed on to stop that little nasty trick yet.

We play at the park. Whine in Amharic for snacks - never satisfied with the snacks they offer up. Oh and I almost forgot. One of the two of us always throw a fake (though they don't know it) hissy when the other one is on Momma's lap.

Man - where do we get this stuff. They don't have a clue!!! We better stop soon. One of us has to stand watch while the other does the typing........the parents..........they're dead asleep. Jeez does Pop snore or what.