Rainier Vista Neighborhood House

Kacie and I recently volunteered for an after school tutoring program in South Seattle. It has been a lot of fun. We go every Tuesday evening from 5:30 to 7:00. The program is setup by an organization called Horn of Africa Services (HOAS). We meet at a little community center called the Rainer Vista Neighborhood House. Most of the kids there are from East African families. Kacie and I work with three girls from Ethiopia. Their names are Sabontu (6th grade), Halima (4th grade), and Duretti (3rd grade). They are all cousins. They are all very bright. We help them through their homework and then outside to play a little neighborhood hoops.



Kacie in front of Neighborhood House with Halima and Duretti




4th Grade Halima is full of personality




3rd Grade Duretti enjoys testing out my glasses





6th Grade Sabontu is all business




The three amigas take a short study break





After tutoring we always make time for a little hoops outside. The girls really get after it on the neighborhood courts. The games actually get a little wild with all the neighborhood boys mixing in as well. They won't let us leave, however, without playing a little basketball.

Happy Mothers Day - From Jamie

Happy Mother's Day Keri!

Warren B Celebrates Birthday #1

Today (May 7th) marks a big day in the life of Warren B. He celebrates his first full year on planet earth. That would be birthday #1. The look on his face with bottle in hand tell it all. It's obvious he has been exploding with anticipation. He can't wait for the presents! Following family custom, Keri had the early morning birthday table all ready to roll. Warren finally awoke at 8 am with a little anxious nudging from Trey. Trey had already been painfully staring at the table for a good hour. He was thinking this was all very unfair. In the end, he assisted in opening the gifts and everybody was happy. We will break out the cake and candles this evening when Kacie is back from school!


What's all the fuss about?



I wonder what's inside?



Trey volunteers to open gifts!



Trey does a little drum roll for Warren's big event


Later in the evening we did eventually break out the birthday cake. Keri had baked up her chocolate birthday special. The lone celebratory candle was carefully placed right in the middle. Warren's hands immediately dove right into the cake. Within a few minutes we had a chocolate mess. Warren kept grabbing at the single flame. Fortunately he was protected by the chocolate frosting plastered all over his hands. Trey was also helpful on the extinguishing end with his friendly huffs and puffs.


My Birthday Cake!



The Big Birthday Smile!



The Chocolate Mess



My Birthday Friends



Flashback to the beast on his birthday #1