We recently spent a weekend in lovely Lancaster, Pennsylvania, attending a reunion for families with children adopted from Armenia. Who would think we would find an Armenia feast in the middle of the Amish countryside? But find a feast we did! Armenian Delight from Broomall, Pennsylvania cooked up delicious dolma, kebab, tabouli, kufta and, of […]
Armenia
Armenian Angels in the Sunlight
We shall find peace. We shall hear angels. We shall see the sky sparkling with diamonds. ~Anton Chekhov Want to see more angelic shots? Check out Delicious Baby Photo Friday!
Make a wish on the wishing tree
You can see Wishing Trees in many locations across Armenia. Typically they are found close to churches, monasteries and chapels, and frequently close to a stream or riverbed. Legend has it that a wish will come true after a person ties his or her handkerchief to a tree branch and walks around the tree seven times. […]
Pampers and Pakhlava turns four!
“When I am writing, my problems become invisible, and I am the same person I always was. All is well. I am as I should be.” ~Roger Ebert Dear readers, April has nearly come and gone without a post to celebrate the 4th anniversary of my blog. On April 13, 2009, Pampers and Pakhlava went […]
Brandy and baby food
Our five hour flight from Yerevan to London passed without a hitch. Baby Bird even fell asleep for a couple hours. I couldn’t believe our luck. When we landed at Heathrow we knew a long layover awaited us. The airport was hot and sticky, and once we finished our requisite lunch of bangers and mash, […]
Two planes, 26 hours and 6,336 miles
We set our alarm for 3:30 a.m. and awoke, bleary-eyed, to what would be the start of a very long day. A full, luminous moon was the only light in the pitch black sky. Two floors below us, Tumanyan Street, lay silent: no horns blaring, no cacophony of people passing below on the sidewalk. It […]
Two weeks in Yerevan
After leaving Gyumri, the three of us spent two weeks in Yerevan. We stayed in a large apartment on Tumanyan Street which was very close to the center of the city. In between applying for a passport, a visa and trying to secure a flight home, we walked all over the city. It was my […]
Gyumri, Armenia in black and white
Gyumri, Armenia Gyumri’s stark, old world beauty is particularly suited for black and white. , Want to see more cool shots? Check out Delicious Baby Photo Friday!
Through the blue gate
Two days after we became family in the eyes of the court, we went to take our daughter out of the orphanage. Other than a few weeks in the hospital as a newborn, this was the only home she’d ever had. The eight nannies who tended to her every need were the only “moms” she’d […]
Our first Family Day!
March 22, 2012. Gyumri, Armenia. Our translator picked us up and drove us to the courthouse in Gyumri where, two days earlier we attended court and were given the opportunity to state our case as to why we wanted to adopt a child from Armenia. The judge was a stern looking woman who sat stiffly […]