A Little African Update in 2009

Just some little things about us right now...

Books I am loving right now:

Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
A Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers (includes 5 short stories about Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, & Mary)
God Calling...by two unknown authors :) makes you want to read it huh?!!



Gabriella playing in the garden the day before Christmas Eve.

Things I am enjoying right now:

All the Christmas pictures on our fridge that people sent.
These funny sticky notes from Paula W (I have been using them to write verses on and stick them around the house).
Having a new plan of attack for 2009.
Journaling.
Reading 1 Corinthians 15!! (If you needing a “YES, LORD, YES!!” chapter to pump you up and energize you, you must read this right now!)
The funny things Kolby says (for example: “I want to live by myself now.").
Gabby’s facial expressions…priceless!
The ipod speaker thingy Jon got me…so I can listen to music & podcasts in the kitchen (or the Bible too!! He got me the Bible on CD!).
Doing yoga & strength training on the Wii (yep, it’s true…we are staying up with the times around here…you don’t want us to turn into the nerdy people who live overseas do you?!).
The community God has blessed us with here.
The community God has blessed us with back home (we were SHOWERED with love over Christmas, helping us to feel loved and not forgotten!).
Gabby’s hair is getting long enough to do fun things with ☺.
The weather here…pretty chilly but really it hasn’t rained as much as it did last winter and we get to play outside more.
Winter ushered in a break from the ants invading our house. I am enjoying every minute of this break and am arming myself for spring!!

Gabby’s world:

Trying to get in those darn I-teeth.
She’s really into Mommy right now…I’ve noticed the importance of taking good care of myself with a little girl around! She really really wants to do what I do…brush and blow dry her hair, wear lip gloss and eye shadow and blush, wear bracelets and necklaces…
LOVES: shoes, Kolby, being outside, going on walks (she knocks on EVERY gate! I am so glad they can’t hear it!), Elianna (and Ellie’s dad Justin!), oranges (she calls them, “Juuuuce), BOZ (she shakes with excitement whenever we mention even turning it on!)!
She’s into that phase where she opens/closes & buckles/unbuckles everything a thousand times (things like her high chair).
Started running a ton and trying really hard to keep up with all the boys around here. Soon she will give them a run for their money!

Kolby’s world:
He keeps me in line, “Mommy, you are disobeying.” “Mommy, you aren’t being kind right now.” “Mommy, Gabby needs a spanking.” ☺
Enjoys climbing into bed to snuggle with me at least once a night…which is funny and hard for me to turn down b/c it’s exactly what I did at that age! And I remember it so well! I would have been crushed if my mom would have said, “No Reasa! Go back to your bed!”
LOVES: when Jon makes pancakes on Saturdays, talking about Christmas and Baby Jesus, sleeping in the tent Gma & Gpa gave him, reading (if I could read to him all day he would be so content!)
Singing…he sings real songs & songs he makes up. The other day he was singing Jingle Bells and in the middle switched to “Gabby bells, Gabby bells, Gabby all the way…”

Jon’s world:

Can’t sleep at night b/c he is so jazzed about his new year, the goals he is setting, and getting his new organizing system up and running…I am so not kidding! (But those of you who know him probably aren’t surprised!)
Rides his bike or drives the truck to his language classes and work.
Feasted on pepperoni and summer sausage over the holiday.
Where there is a will there is a way with this guy...he has pushed us through our first year here and we are all better b/c of it! With that said...

We CELEBRATED the end of our first year here on December 28, 2008!!! I read through some of my journal from last year…

December 29, 2007
My first time to ever wake up in Africa! Weird. Its 9 a.m. and I’ve been hearing lots of interesting sounds all night—cars, people, dogs, cats fighting and now roosters. It’s not as noisy as Kosova or India were…but it’s pretty darn noisy! Thankfully Kolby & Gabby are sleeping through it. We arrived here yesterday around 1 p.m. after 24 hours of traveling. 15 of our 16 tubs made it, all in good condition. Kylan, Bryce, and Andres were at the airport to greet us. Kylan said, “Welcome home!” I thought I held it together pretty well…home?! Oh right, this is my home now!!

Thankfully, a year later, I really feel like I can call this place “home”. Thanks for the grace, Lord, thanks for the grace!!