The African Groggs

Kids quotes from Oct to Dec 2011

2012-01-06T11:40:00.002+01:00

Well, I am pretty much behind on everything I always think I want to do w/ my life...one of them being collecting the kids' funny things they say every month and then putting them on my blog so we can laugh ab the things they say later. I started writing things in October on sticky notes but so far they never made it to the blog (either has anything else in our life!). Today its so windy here I am sure if I were hiring a nanny and there was a long line of them at our front door, they would all blow right down the street. So I am gonna pop in Mary Poppins for Gabby to watch while Kyler naps and Kolby is in arabic class and catch up on my piles. This being one of them. I obviously didn't record them all...and Kolby's list is short bc now he goes to school and most of the things he says that are funny are too inappropriate to keep track of :)

Kyler:
"Don't worry."
"No thank you please!!!"
"I santa! I eatin' my cookies and drinkin' my milk!" (as he drinks almond milk and eats banana chips)
"NO NO DOGGY! NO NO!" (yelling at the barking dogs from our bedroom window)
"I gotta bootie, I gotta bootie" (repeating several times while dancing in the bath tub)
"Nut job"
"you stink!"
"night night elephant poop"
"chocolate milk angee, chocolate milk angee" (receiving his almond chocolate milk he adds angie on the end bc she drinks hot choco w us sometimes)
"OOOH! NICE!!"
"Lay down, Mommy! Lay down!"

Gabby:
"Someday I'm gonna be a rockstar."
"When you are satisfied He shines thru..."
"I'm doing so good at preschool Angie's not gonna know what to do w/ me."
"Mom, sometimes Kyler likes to play poke in the hole, spinny spin spin, and go grandpa go!"
"That's killing me!"

Kolby:
"We need to take the grogg outta the grump."

A Sunday Morning Message from Gabby

2011-03-13T12:58:00.002+01:00

This is the song in Gabby's heart this Sunday morning :) Actually I think it was inspired from the sparkly heart on her shirt that I can see her rubbing as she sings to her audience in the TV...

Swinging alone & haircuts...check.

2011-03-10T19:48:00.005+01:00

On Thursday Kolby learned how to swing! I think he has been "swinging" for a long time alone but something just clicked and he was swinging so high!! His whole face was one big smile. This is what he said to me, "Mommy! I learned how to swing! God just gave me a push and then I just started pumping my legs and doing it all by myself! Daddy is going to be so proud of me!"
Kyler's first hair cut! Ok, so I really didn't want to cut it but it was making him mad (hair hanging in his eyes)...I took the first cut and handed the scissors off to Angie b/c she is braver than I...and does a better job! Before pic.
After pic. Well he started to get a little impatient so we just had to be done...but its really cute and he looks super grown up now. (There you go, Leanne!)
Angie cut Gabby Girl's hair too...just a trim.

Angie w/ the kids before our Arabic class on Thursday...after the fun haircuts and swinging. We are totally enjoying having our "Angie" back!

In Bed

2011-02-20T15:45:00.002+01:00

Well today I have been in bed almost all day w/ this darn cold turned into something living in my sinuses. Jon was so good to stay home today so I could try to get better before our busy week begins tomorrow. So since I am in bed, what better time to catch up on some blogs. I posted an update on each of the three little people that occupy most of my time. I also finished reading "Three Cups of Tea"...uh so good. Thanks Mickey for bringing it for us to read...a year ago! I am pretty sure I cried through at least half of it. If anyone is looking for a good down to earth reality story ab the Muslim world this is a great book to read. It's about Greg Mortenson's journey of starting schools for girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan...w/ an incredible message of promoting peace. Ok, must close my eyes before they pop out of my head. Look at me blogging.

Kolby, almost 6 1/2 yrs old

2011-02-20T15:14:00.003+01:00

This little boy has a vivid memory and imagination. Therefore, I think sometimes living overseas away from his family is hardest on him. He remembers last Christmas w/ Nana & Papa and Grandma & Grandpa and longs for traditions to stay the same. He had a hard holiday season...but when Nana sent this magical packet of fake snow in the mail he was thrilled! He missed the snow and even though he loves seeing pictures and hearing stories of his cousins in the snow I know it's hard for him to not be apart of it.

One morning I woke up to find this letter on the table. He wrote it after having a hard night of missing his friends and family in America. I had my computer hooked up to the TV and thought it would be fun to just have a slideshow of pictures running so the kids could play and watch. Seems like right after I did that I had to go help Kyler, Gabby went to play in her room, and Jon had to answer the gate (and was having difficulty figuring out what the man wanted) so Kolby was left alone to watch the pictures. All of a sudden I am coming downstairs and he is coming upstairs just sobbing. Broke my heart. He was crying b/c he just missed everyone so much. He's so tender. Nothing makes me want to pack my bags more than that...not even political unrest. This is what his letter said the next day, "Dear Dad and Gabby and Mom and Kyler, I will take you to America." To say the least, he is looking forward to a visit this summer.
One afternoon out w/ Daddy just walking around I think...and Jon captured this of Kolby. He still loves to curl up in small spaces and could watch for hours what is going on around him.
And yes, he wears this Halloween shirt at least once a week :) This is the big carrot he and Jon bought at the market one afternoon.
Angie has returned!! She came back at the beginning of Feb...and Kolby is back in action w/ some one on one time kindergarten instead of constant interruption kindergarten that he was having w/ me everyday. She took these 2 photos of him during school time. The top one cracks me up. He draws a picture and then journals ab it everyday. He seems to have some little thing happening in his mind this day w/ the car and his "dog" Harley sitting on his journal. The photo below is of Kolby's first day back to kindergarten w/ Angie. He got all dressed up for her :)

Gabriella, the almost 4 year old (in 4 months)

2011-02-20T02:50:00.005+01:00

Gabby, put some clothes on! It's winter! Everyday I have to tell this girl to put on some pants or tights or socks...or clothes. She loves to wear summer clothes all year. What she really loves to do is run around in her underwear!
Jon took Kolby and Gabby to this little park the other week after Gabby had a nasty battle w/ the flu for 5 days. She was so happy to get out of the house and start eating again. I am sure she lost at least 10 lbs.
This is one of my favorite pictures of Gabby from Jan. She is growing up (too fast) into such a pretty little girl. Her facial expressions just kill me sometimes...I wish I could capture them all on camera.
Gabby and Ellie had a tea party this week (Kyler joined in on the fun too...his first tea party :) ).
Sipping water and eating toast. Such joy! Gabby adores her friend Ellie. She is very lucky to have a little girl her age, who is an American, live next door! They get along so good (most of the time). Gabby talks about her and prays for her when she's not around. It makes my heart so happy that she has a friend like that.

Kyler, 17 months

2011-02-20T02:01:00.007+01:00

Here is our ornery little third child. If ever you were to forget he was in the room, don't worry...he will remind you that he's there and ready for everyone to look at him!
Kyler and Alex, best buds, 5 months apart, playing in Gabby's kitchen like sweet little boys should :)
Kyler and Alex at the local amusement park playing in a car together (you know the kind you can put quarters in and it goes back and forth and honks)...oh great fun! I think Kyler kept trying to sit on top of Alex so he could hog the steering wheel.

Kyler started walking at the beginning of Jan...and by the end he's getting his groove on and loves to walk around carrying our cell phones or vonage phone as he tells whoever is listening about his day. (The background noise on the video of Kyler dancing is Gabby just talking to herself while she plays! No lie!)

Spoke to soon...

2011-01-14T14:36:00.001+01:00

Just kidding don't listen to me! Seeing updates now about demands for the president to resign...so we will continue to watch and pray...and stay at home :)

Riots Update

2011-01-14T13:31:00.003+01:00

Well so much for how I usually find myself saying we moved to one of the safest countries :) But I guess we are still very safe! Today is the day the city is supposed to be completely shut down (the threat of no water or electricity did not come to pass THANK YOU, LORD!). After a speech from the President last night we are all feeling extremely hopeful though. We even ventured out of our house...okay so we walked down the street to Veronica's and the boys went to look for some lunch just out of curiosity really. They weren't able to find shwarmas but did find chipotees and several opened hanuts (little stores). So we were celebrating w/ take out and playing outside this morning. The guys did say they saw several burned things and many broken brick pieces up and down streets. From what we have heard from friends, online, and TV it sounds like people are, for the most part, happy w/ the talk that staple food items (bread, sugar, eggs) will be cut down in price; more freedom of speech; no more censorship of the internet; and the president won't run for another term (after having ruled for 23 years). Today is pivotal...to see if he will follow through. We are continuing to pray for peace, both political and in the hearts of people. We are rejoicing that things seem to be calming down...and will see what tonight brings. Still have not heard officially that the curfew is lifted. I feel like I am handling all this pretty well :) I have been most thankful for friends and family...here and across the ocean. The group of Americans we have here has been wonderful...seems like again we are all working together like the Body should. We have also been encouraged w/ prayers, phone calls, and emails from all of you in America! I have been reminding myself of a verse I memorized the first year I lived in Phoenix when I did a bible study w/ my Mil...Ps 56:3-4, "When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" Okay, except they can shut off our power and water...but hey, we were ready w/ every bucket and pan in our house filled to the rim!

Kyler is walking

2011-01-11T13:14:00.002+01:00

Just yesterday out of the blue Kyler started taking 10 or more steps!! I am so happy! He will be 16 months in a few days (1/11) and I have been begging him to walk (well mostly my back is begging!). The funniest part is how motivated he is when his big bro and sis are cheering him on. They were SO excited for him and yelled, clapped, jumped around, danced...he was all smiles and kept walking to them over and over. Love that about having older siblings. Its so funny for me since I am the baby of 3 siblings. I can see myself in Kyler. "HEY EVERYONE LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME! AREN'T I CUTE AND FUNNY AND PRECIOUS?!" I have some videos of Kyler (and tons of other things) but for some reason I can't get anything to upload so videos will have to wait till I figure out the problem..

Engagement Party, Part 1

2011-01-02T13:59:00.004+01:00

We kicked off our New Year here with our language teacher/good friend's engagement party...here she is waiting for her man to come!
Here he comes to claim his woman! He enters with his whole family and they are carrying gifts for the couple. There is lots of noise and its high energy! Our friend met her fiance through the American Embassy. A match made in heaven no lie. They both speak fluent English and though they are from here...much of the time I swear they are Americans. We could not be more thrilled for her to have been blessed w/ him. He has lived in America, works for the American Embassy and even lived w/ a pastor's family while in the states. And yes, don't be confused...this is only the engagement party!

Oh I have so many fun videos from this...so I have to figure out what is wrong w/ my blog or camera so I can upload them. More to come!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

2011-01-01T13:15:00.001+01:00

15 months

2011-01-01T13:02:00.002+01:00

Kyler, 15 months
Gabby, 15 months

So sad I don't even have pics of Kolby at 15 months...well I do but not digital and not here. Back in the day when I had film :) All those pics must be in America somewhere...I hope.

Just wanted to see them together so we could laugh at how similar Kyler and Gabby look!

Litttle Groggy stories

2010-11-17T15:24:00.005+01:00

24 hour little girl getaway for us...so fun to not have an agenda...well at least it was for me :) Thought I would throw the pics Ang took on my blog since I didn't take my camera.
Having coffee...Angie (always the one taking the photos!), Susie, Veronica, me, and our good friend Corrie.
Going to our hotel! Yes, we are super excited!

Yep, a little boy and little girl in there!!!!!! I think this pic she is 25 weeks. She looks so good!!!! Everyone is always asking to see pics of her so here they are.
On the way to find Kyler some antibiotics for this horrible spider bite on Wed, (it was a little stressful b/c it was a holiday) Kolby prays, "Dear Mom, I mean God, would you please help us find a store that is open so we can get medicine for Kyler. We believe in You, God! We know You can do it! You created everything in this world. Amen." Sure enough the Lord helped us find a pharmacy that was 1. open, 2. the woman spoke english, 3. they could order the antibiotic and we could pick it up at 5 p.m. (thanks so much for all your help, Aunt Cathy!!) This little guy is my spiritual giant these days. These are photos from Ang during kindergarten when it was 70 out and he felt the need to wear his coat, hat, and gloves!

This is one Ang took of Kyler playing during our language class. He is getting braver and might some day go into K & G's class room w/their teacher Rautha! Yesterday he actually went in and played for a little while w/out making a fuss....then Rautha brings him in and says, "oops, sorry, I thought he crawled in here w/you guys but he was out in the office...." He had crawled out into the office area and pulled all of the papers off the desk and out of the drawers. Sorry Nedra!!

Our Spooky Six year old

2010-11-15T15:41:00.003+01:00

Kolby really wanted to have a "spooky ghost" party for his sixth bday...what can you do? It worked out nicely since friends had leftover Halloween goods for us to use! Yep, I made each kid a ghost sugar cookie to decorate. I practically should be in a magazine or something :)
His spider man card from Nana, Papa, & cousins. We let him open his gifts in the morning before his buddies Kaedren and Kian came over to play. For real, fix the date on the camera!
He was so giddy the whole day I could hardly get a good shot of him. He was HIGH on sugar and birthday love. Thanks so much, family, for working so hard to get his gifts here!! Sorry, we were hoping to skype w/ some of you but it has been a really busy week and weekend. We saved his gift from the Groggs for Sunday in hopes of skyping when he opened it but again, busy day. Poor kid just wanted his gift so we finally just let him open it. He loves his new pet :) , his singing dog. Would love to blog more about life but the 6 yr old is breathing down my neck in hopes of watching Scooby Doo so I must hurry hurry!

Kolby's tongue bugs

2010-11-10T21:19:00.003+01:00

While reading to Kolby and Gabby tonight before bath time, Kolby gets little hairs or something on his tongue from these black fuzzy gloves he is wearing. He tries to get the hairs off with his gloved fingers. Not working out so well for him. So I say, "It might work better if you take the gloves off, honey." He does and continues to "itch" his tongue. I ask, "Does your tongue feel funny?" Here is his response:

"Yea. Well it's all bu.....ggy. (I think he's going to say bumpy like normal people.) There are lots of little hidden bugs on my tongue dressed in camouflage. Oooh its all buggy!"

For his sixth birthday he wants to have a "spooky ghost" party. I was trying to get him to have a pirate party (b/c he really does like pirates) but in the end he always comes back to spooky ghosts so I decided just to go for it. Saturday is the big day. Our son with the buggy tongue will be six! I can hardly believe it. I wish I would take the time to write down all the things he says and does. Some of them are so funny and others are so sweet....okay and some of them are sassy. I want to be able to tell him someday when he has kids of his own some of the things he said and did!

Here a sweet one: reading "Make Way for Ducklings" tonight and the mommy duck says to the daddy duck that he doesn't need to worry about her b/c she knows all there is to know about raising children. Kolby looks up at me, giggles, and says, "Just like you, Mom!" Oh, if only I really did, Kolby!!! But it warms my heart to hear you say that. A little confidence booster for the end of the day.

Halloween fun

2010-11-01T10:05:00.004+01:00

Heading out w our pirate, princess, & football player to party at Angie's cookie decorating party...
so thankful to have good friends to celebrate holidays with!
our 3 babies (until the other round of babies hits in Jan!)...Kyler, Drew, Maisy (all born w/in 2 weeks of eachother last year). Kyler and Drew are football players together. oh so sweet :)
my little pumpkin (hahaha squash) carvers!
Hope you all had a fun halloween too! We missed you all and talked about how last year we were trick or treating in Kansas w/ our cousins and the Holdrens :(

September days gone by!

2010-10-23T20:14:00.004+01:00

The other day I found Kyler happily sitting on Jon's guitar case. He loves music and listening to Jon play and sing. I think it's so sweet that he acts like such a big boy. He was so proud of himself sitting on the guitar case.
My first try at making almond milk....yes Kyler has a soy "food sensitivity". Of course he does. The Dr. says to me over the phone, "I guess you will have to make almond milk if you can't find it." WHAT? Yes, another thing to do every other day!

And yes, here is the first almond milk response. Its a no go. I still haven't given up...he's still drinking soy...but I'm hoping sometime he will be drinking almond milk! He spit it right out onto his bib.

The boys sporting In n Out burger hats that Gma sent in the mail. Gabby didn't want to wear her's....I think she thought there wasn't enough pink or purple on it so why should she wear it?
Our little Cardinals fans...thanks, Gma. Gabby says, "DADDY! Its your team!!!" and then proceeds to play soccer :) but Kolby is getting the football idea. Cinderella Baby just wants some undies.

Just a short little update on life in Sept. I'm a horrible blogger!

First week of school for us

2010-09-20T15:37:00.005+01:00

Here's our kindergartner! He took his "pet" Harley to school with him the first day.
Kolby started Kindergarten on Sept. 13! Angie is his faithful, loving teacher and he LOVES her! She teaches him Tues-Thurs from 9 a.m. to noon. Then Fri & Sat I teach :)
Even though they don't really get to "go" anywhere we they filled their backpacks and we took pics of course! Gabby does go to Ellie's on Tues mornings to have preschool for an hour with Ellie and Veronica. Then Ellie comes to our house on Thurs mornings and I facilitate.
Gabby LOVES saying she is a preschooler. She loves to learn and have "friends". We find her in her room talking to all her "friends" who aren't really there....Every morning at breakfast the kids are so excited to do the date and weather.

So we are finally in full swing around here and the first week flew by with lots going on (plus visitors from KY). Here is a glimpse of our weekly schedule:

Monday: Day off
Tuesday: Kolby school till noon. Gabby preschool from 9 to 10. Arabic at Manel's from 3:30 to 5:30 (me and all 3 kids).
Wednesday: Kolby school till noon. Gabby & Mommy preschool time. AWANA 4:15- 5:45 (Jon & I are leading the Jr. Highers this year...it will be the first Jr. High group! I am SO EXCITED I am beside myself really. Last night we kicked into youth ministry mode as we were planning...it felt so good to do something I KIND OF KNOW and enjoy!)
Thursday: Kolby school till noon. Gabby & Ellie here for preschool. Arabic at Manel's from 3:30 to 5:30.
Friday: Kolby & Gabby & I do math as much as we can. 4:00 Jen's house for an arabic lesson with a believer.
Saturday: We try to do science! Church at 4 and the rest of the night is spent in fellowship with our fam here.
Sunday: "Sheraton" time for me! Jon goes to "church". The rest of the day we spend playing and getting ready for the week.

Well, those are just the "big" things that must happen during our days :).

Kyler's one year photos

2010-09-18T10:03:00.004+01:00

thanks to Angie :)

Happy 1st Birthday, Kyler

2010-09-12T13:14:00.003+01:00

The Birthday boy opening his gifts yesterday after lunch...
With 2 older siblings it was hard for him to get at his presents however....thanks for the guitar, Grandma...and for the airplane, Nana....
and for the car, Grandpa! Kyler can eat apples like this now! Its so nice! If he's fussing all I have to do is peel that kid an apple and he's happy for 30 minutes. He's trying to get his sixth tooth in.
We got him this little music "station" at Toys R Us in France. He loves it! As does Kolby and Gabby. Looks like my camera is still set on American time...it really is Sept 11! oops.
Getting ready to celebrate with gluten, dairy and egg free banana cake with our friends at Veronica's house...thanks Nana, for supplying the party supplies! Kyler was ALL smiles for his big day!

Kyler's birthday week

2010-09-12T06:55:00.002+01:00

September started out hot here...Kyler found joy in the hose while Jon was watering the grass one night. It was funny b/c Gabby and Kolby just watched him, scared to get to close b/c they didn't know what he would do! He was crazy, spraying himself in the face and anyone who would dare to walk close by.
On Friday we headed to Marsielle, France for a visa trip. Oh darn :) I know I know I'm spoiled. I forget how cool our life is sometimes. We get a little distracted by the stress of it all. But when we sit back and try to de-stress we again realize what a huge opportunity we have to see the world right now. The first day was bad b/c we tried to go to Toys R Us and IKEA. We did make some purchases which of course I am super excited about...but again, it was stressful. The rest of the time in France we just took walks and did some hiking. A much better way to slow down and enjoy seeing new sights. Here our the kids at the beginning of a little hike we took.
Kolby snagged the camera on this walk and took about a "milk-ee-an" photos (K's word for "a lot").
Jon's a crazy man and has spent several visa trips running up this CRAZY hill to see this Catholic church...he told me it was just "a little walk"! Yea right! A little walk straight up for a long time!! But of course he was right, the view at the top was worth it and the building itself was pretty cool. Gabby somehow twisted her ankle the day before so it made it a little tricky...
So on the way down the hill while I took pics here is my hero to the rescue...almost one year old strapped to the back, pushing the 3 year old and then carrying her (along with the heavy backpack) down yet another flight of stairs! Oh it was pretty funny!! I will have to put all these photos on kodakgallery.com b/c they are pretty sweet.

Elijah & Brittney

2010-08-02T21:51:00.003+01:00

Gabby has finally fallen in love with reading. It seems like Kolby was born with this love. But Gabby, not so much. Not until recently has she started asking for me to read to her ALL the time. I'm used to this question with Kolby, but it's new for me with her. And its so different with her b/c she wants to read different things then Kolby...you know, like girl books! Love it! I get to read princess books and Strawberry Shortcake. Also she REACTS to everything in the book. Kolby will sit for hours silently while I read and read (I had no idea he ever heard a word I read until I figured out he was practically memorizing everything). She laughs, points out everything, asks a million questions, and names each of the characters ("This is Gabby, this is "Tolby", this is "tyler", this is Ellie). She is for sure a verbal processor like her mother!

She is a big fan of the "Beginners Bible" that we received from a friend a month ago when they moved back to America (that is also where the fabulous Strawberry Shortcake book came from). We were reading "Chariot of Fire" (from 1 Kings 19; 2 Kings 2) the other day. When we got to the part about Elijah being taken up to Heaven in a fiery chariot Gabby shouts out, "That little boy going back to America, Mommy?!!! Like Brittney does? To see her mommy & daddy & sister?" It made me laugh so hard. The poor thing associates anyone that has to go away with going to America. Bless her little heart! Our kids are troopers. They have had to say many goodbyes this year already. Its amazing to me how at such a young age they can remember people they love so well. So if you have been one of our beloved guests...just know you are still being talked about weekly, maybe daily!

Brittney was our last victim. She endured 5 weeks of me & my children bossing her around! Thanks to her Kolby is getting really good at reading, Kyler has hope to lead a normal life despite allergies (we are getting in good with a great doctor thanks to her and her fam!), and Gabby only likes to wear braids now. (Brittney, those earrings are hot don't deny it! I know you ACCIDENTALLY left your pair here...right?!? Miss your positive attitude around here!)

Thanks, Momma

2010-07-24T14:42:00.005+01:00

I've been trying to finish this entry for days...so the info is a couple days off..

Today during nap time Kolby actually fell asleep (b/c we went swimming in an awesome pool this morning thanks to our friends Zack & Corrie!). I went in to check on him and he looked cold so I covered him up with a blanket. He opened his eyes, smiled sweetly, and said, "Thanks, Momma," then closed his eyes and fell back to sleep.

I realized at that moment of sweetness that no matter how many pep talks I give myself during the day, I continue to let my stress get the better of me. Kolby, you are so sweet. Naturally, you tend to be more sweet than mean. It seems like your un-sweetness is only learned from us, a response to our stress. Upon waking, for 2 seconds, you sweetly smile and use your manners?! But other times, during the day, your un-sweetness emerges somehow. You are so sensitive. No matter how hard I try you can sense my emotions...even if I am conquering the bad ones. I'm sorry I don't enjoy you more. You are so creative and go on and on with make believe stories. You are still into pirates and spooky ghosts. 99% of the time you are the "King of Golden" and at least once a day you bring up how we should only worship God and not golden idols. I rarely have to entertain Kyler b/c you are so into him. Yesterday in the car you were pretending to eat his hands and feet, all the while slobbering all over him and yourself. He was cracking up. Whenever he nears the steps you say, "Mom! Kyler is going to fall off the steps!" or "Mom, Kyler is trying to climb the stairs!" You have also really progressed with your mad reading skills. I can't believe in just a month or so WE will start Kindergarten! I never would have thought I would get to be a teacher...and it's even better that I get to be a teacher to you. Lots of new for me and you, buddy.
You teach me everyday. We noticed a few days ago that you have a tooth growing up behind your baby teeth (on the bottom). At breakfast you were asking me what would happen with your teeth. I said that maybe you would have to have a baby tooth pulled out by the dentist. You replied, "Let's just pray about that. God will heal my teeth." Faith like a five year old.

Kolby, thanks for having grace for your parents as we learn to parent. You are our best oldest child :). I love you and hope you will always know that...despite the stresses we face everyday with you either sensing them or getting the bad end of the deal. You really are such a good little boy. And this video cracks me up! I know it looks a little abusive...but I swear Kyler was laughing so hard I had to get the camera instead of telling you to stop hitting him in the face!!

Poor Kyler...

2010-07-15T13:06:00.002+01:00

Here's our cuddly little bubble boy...we let him out every once in awhile to swim in Veronica's new pool. :) We are going to talk to a Doctor in the states (thanks, Shannon!) about his allergies and eczema so these are the pictures we took for her. He is balding because he itches his head all the time (you can kind of see it on the sides of his head and in the back). Despite his itchiness, he is super sweet and loves to cuddle with his Mommy. I appreciate every good day we get when he's not having a horrible reaction to who knows what. I started making "thankful" lists every morning. Kolby and Gabby do it with me sometimes (they are thankful for interesting things to say the least...my favorite so far is the morning Kolby wrote "Mom" on the white board all by himself). Even though Kyler is just A LITTLE sick, compared to tons of other sick children, my heart just breaks for him to be completely healed. I can't imagine what other parents have had to go through. For sure a new level of faith for me. 1 Thess 5:16-18 are my new focus for this summer, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." How can I pray today? What brings me joy? What am I thankful for? With these questions running through my head I feel like I can endure the heat of the summer, life's unexpected interruptions, and the unanswered questions with Kyler...well at least for this day!

Bye Bye Mick

2010-06-29T14:44:00.003+01:00

About 2 weeks ago Gabby's beloved blue pack n play sheet, in which she so lovingly named "Mick", was wounded and just couldn't recover. This pack n play sheet was SO thin that Gabby stuck her little feet right threw it one day during nap time. She was so sad. She called for me and said, "Mommy! Mick is hurt!" Mick made it about another week...it was totally shredded. The other day after her nap she drug what was left of Mick behind her down the stairs and announced, "Mick is broken. I will throw him away." She walked right over to the trash can and threw it away. I was shocked. And sad. Although she has now replaced her blue Mick with a pink one she continues to talk about her "blue Mick". Today while we were switching out laundry she asked, "Blue Mick dirty?" Again I had to tell her that she threw it away b/c it was broken. She said, "Oh yeah."

Here's the Mick story:
When we moved into our new home last May we also moved Gabby into her big girl bed. I kept a pink box full of pack n play sheets in her room. Not too soon after putting the pack n play away she found the pink box and got out that particular sheet. We found her laying on her bed with it sucking her thumb. Up to this point I wondered if she sucked her thumb at night but hadn't seen her doing it all the time. I had seen her several times sleeping in the pack n play with this one blue sheet and her arm was suck all the way underneath it. She just really loved the feel of it I think. So at the age of 2, Gabby started carrying this blue sheet around and sucking her thumb. When we saw friends they would say, "When did Gabby start sucking her thumb?!" I could never quite understand what she was calling it. Jon is the one that figured out she had named it "Mick". So for a good year Mick has been her companion and comfort. When she is sad or tired she gets Mick and likes to cover herself up with it, having her feet stick in the corners and pull her shirt up (or take all her clothes of sometimes!) so it can be as close to her as possible. It's actually been a huge blessing b/c it has helped with the traveling between countries. She loves it so much I was actually sad for her when she threw it away. But I'm proud of her for being such a big girl. There were no tears and it was all her idea. I can tell she misses Mick, but she is being so strong about it. I am sure soon pink Mick will look and feel like blue Mick!

Gabriella turned 3

2010-06-06T15:01:00.003+01:00

I wish I could call about 20 people right now...have a heart to heart, reconnect, and be encouraged just by hearing what is going on in your lives...but this blog will have to do. Our days seem to fill up and calling the people we love for some reason winds up on the "tomorrow" list...there have been too many tomorrows. So here is the short version!

After our quick visa run to France, my mom spent 2 weeks with us. Thanks, Nana. (She endured losing her luggage and arrived back in America a whole day late.) The kids have good memories of you being here and spending so much time with them. They had a sleep over (in our "basement" where Nana slept), received lots of special gifts (thanks to everyone who sent us stuff!!), Gabby had her potty party (she pretty much was totally potty trained in 24 hours and I never have to ask her to go, she just does it all herself), we celebrated her third bday with Nana and sugar cookies, and we did things like decorate Easter eggs. Kolby and Marty (his stuffed zebra that he left for Nana to take care of after our visit home this winter) were reunited...precious. Kyler got his first tooth (at 8 1/2 months). As of 2 days ago he has 2 bottom teeth.

While Nana was here we continued to try everything we could think of to get rid of this crazy rash that has been on Kyler's face since Justin & Ashley were here! It has come and gone, but mostly it hangs out on his face around his mouth...until my mom came, then it started to spread. I finally realized it must be a food allergy (rash, vomitting, wheezing which I have blamed on him getting broncilitis 2 months ago). So I stopped feeding him and it cleared up. But then it came back after a visit to a restaurant. I put off going to get his blood taken (which is usually the "prescription" from the doctor when he is sick) but after mom left I took him in. Four days later I was sitting in the doctor's office while she went, "Oooh, oh, oh no, this isn't good..." WHAT? So poor little Kyler is allergic to wheat, eggs, peanuts, and milk!! I was also totally unaware that he would get sick from those things being in my breast milk. So yes, I am giving up wheat, eggs, peanuts, and milk products for a week and praying it works. That is all I can focus on for now. A week at a time. I just want him to get better...I can do anything for a time. My hope is that this will work and I can keep breastfeeding until he's a year old (the formula is about $20 a can that I would have to buy for him). It's day 3 and I am adjusting slowly. No birthday cake (but I could eat the frosting!!), no baby shower goodies the other night, no crackers or bread or yogurt or shwarmas...whew, it's a little overwhelming but I feel like everyone is being really supportive and helpful. My friend Veronica even got online for me and also found sheep cheese, pasta, rice flour, and rice cakes for me at the store!

Yesterday was Gabby's actual birthday. We had our little princess friends over. They all dressed up, made crowns, ate pink cupcakes, and had a dance party. I was planning on reading a story about how much God loves them out of this really cool Bible my cousin Becky gave us (The Jesus Storybook Bible) and dance with Gabby to "Amazed"...but it seemed a little crazy so I just went with the flow. It was lots of fun to have the little girls and moms here to help us celebrate! However, it was a little distressing to her big brother. So last night Kolby couldn't sleep and he came downstairs while Jon, Angie and I were watching a movie. While I was putting him back in bed this was our conversation:

K: Mom, we need to talk about some stuff.
me: What honey?
K: Why are you guys watching a movie and I am not?
me: B/c we don't go to bed until 10 and you go to bed at 8.
K: Can you remember some things for my birthday party?
me: Sure, what?
K: I don't want Gabby to come. And I don't want you to make it so rough on me.
me: Well how do you want your party to be?
K: Soft and gentle.

I think all day we had been saying things about how rough it was to watch your sister get to have a special day, open gifts, etc. and he was really processing that. These are the big things that help us grow, right? He told Jon he doesn't like big crowds or noisy people too!

Okay, the first picture is of Kolby and the tree he climbed on our visa trip to France (we just had one day there so we played at parks and Jon took the kids hiking while I had some alone time during Kyler's morning nap...very nice!). No lie, he climbed to the very top of that tree. I couldn't even look.

The second pic is of Jon and the kids having a snack while playing at a park in France.

3rd, Nana and the kids having their sleepover. Thanks Nana!!! We had a great time with you! And we read that book you gave them about every night. Tonight I missed a page accidentally and Kolby reminded me that I skipped a part...and he knew the exact part.

4th, Gabby super excited about blowing out candles and hearing the happy bday song sung for her.

5th, our little princesses. Maisy, Ellie, Kate, Julia, and Gabriella. Gabby is so blessed to have so many little girls to play with.

Okay, long blog. Please pray for Kyler to be totally healed of his food allergies. The doctor says maybe in 2 or 3 years he could grow out of them. And if you have a kid with any of these allergies...I would love to hear what you do! I am so clueless!

Funny things...

2010-05-13T18:50:00.003+01:00

The last 2 days the kids have been cracking me up with some of the things they have said. I wish I could remember them all...but these are the ones I can remember.

Today I asked Kolby to do something (can't remember what it was but I know I asked him to do something like wash his hands or put something away). It's the first time he's ever used this word on me!

Me: Kolby, it's time to...

Kolby: I will IMMEDIATELY after I do this...(with a fierce look in his eye, like "Wait patiently, Mother, I am working on it!'")

Coming back from our visa trip we were having breakfast in the airport. Gabby points to the "painted" lady sitting beside us (I think she is not used to make up since her mother never wears it!)...
Gabby: "Look at that little girl (an old woman), she has purple eyes! (eyeshadow)"

And then again when we went to buy a pack of gum, Gabby points right at this older man and says, "Look at that little boy, he...."

Kolby is on this kick where he only likes a FEW people. He likes me (yeah I made the list!), Kyler, Marty (yes, the stuffed animal Marty that lives in America with Nana from the Madagascar movie), and Taylor (his cousin). When you ask him why he likes these people he says, "B/c they all smell like cookies," or "B/c they taste like jello."

2010-05-11T09:07:00.003+01:00

Our last day with Justin & Ashley we did some sight-seeing...the kids were happy to pose among the ruins this day. From their good moods you can see how much they LOVE Justin & Ashley!

The Justin and Ashleys of the World

2010-05-09T19:29:00.003+01:00

Couples like these don't show up at your door very often. Justin and Ashley have been living in our "guest basement" for the last five weeks. They have seen us in the best of times and definitely in the worst! As we were reminiscing about our time together today we were laughing about how Kolby meet them at the airport in his spiderman pants and pirate shirt. Having been married for only a year, this couple jumped right into our lives, and let me be cheesy, our hearts too, right away. They have learned most of the little quirks each of our children have and they have chosen to love & invest in them despite their "childish ways". Priceless. Tomorrow morning they will leave us and fly back to America. We will leave and fly to France for a 2 day visa renewal. Jon & I are both glad it happened this way, b/c our kids are going to be asking non-stop, "Where's Justin? Where's Ashley?" And they know I won't go on adventures with them like they do! It takes special people to do what these 2 have done in 5 weeks...capture the hearts of our children. I am pretty sure Justin is Gabby's first crush (Ashley is probably ready to have her husband all to herself)! These are the times when living overseas are the hardest and the best. Relationships are formed in an extra special way here for some reason. But the down side is all the goodbyes. Reminds me of good ol' Garth..."I could have missed the pain but I'd have had to miss the dance."

Justin & Ashley, it's been a good dance! Worth every minute :) There aren't many people in the world like you!! Thank you, thank you for sharing your lives with us. Have a great trip home...and then to KS!

"Married"

2010-05-08T14:58:00.002+01:00

Today Gabby decided she didn't need to take a nap but played nicely in her room (thank goodness for me!). When I went to get her, this is what I found...she told me she was playing "Married". That actually means she was pretending to be Mary. Props she uses to help her play "Married": her blue "Mick" (a pack n play sheet we never leave home without), her baby crib that Grandpa Bruce made, and her naked baby whom she refers to as Baby Jesus.

Our battleground

2010-04-28T14:17:00.003+01:00

It feels like war around here lately! And actually it is...all too often I am reminded that our war is NOT against flesh & blood but against the powers of the dark (Eph 6). How can I help my children learn and understand this? Believe it or not, these sweet little faces aren't always this sweet :) How can I keep the right perspective as we go through our day?

Gabby adores Kolby. Kolby adores Kyler. Gabby adores Kyler. Kolby adores Mommy (b/c I have soft skin he told me the other day). Kyler adores Kolby. What I am trying to say is that their loyalties to each other change like the wind! As seen in this photo, Gabby is upset that she is not sitting by Kyler but must sit by Kolby. Kolby is happy b/c he is sitting by Kyler and Gabby is not! Teaching these small little people to love each other is a serious task. I think my mom must still feel like this (huh, Mom?!)!!

This week I have been reminded that it is ME that is modeling to them how to love others. It is me that is modeling to Gabby how to respect her Daddy. It is me modeling to Kolby how to put others' needs before his own. This job is a little more scary than I was expecting... :) I am realizing how Satan HATES it when I model Christ to them. God pours out grace to me, then out of the blue I feel like I am getting beat over the head, God pours more grace, more beatings, etc. There is a war going on...not just between siblings. I really need to remember this when the physical chaos is overwhelming and the task tiring. My "little disciples" are watching my every move and listening to my every word.

Kolby, Gabby, and Kyler, I'm sorry for all the times I don't model Christ to you. I know that I am teaching you bad habits all too often instead of good. There is hope though...despite my mistakes, sins and selfishnesses. "B/c of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23) God is faithful and will teach and mold you into who He created you to be!

Kyler 7 months

2010-04-27T13:23:00.004+01:00

Kyler is working on rolling, sitting, and pushing up in a crawling position all at the same time. We have been waiting and waiting for him to roll (yes, his first roll was at 7 months and he was a little surprised I think at the big celebration it caused!). Kyler is sweet, loud, funny, sweet, and LOUD. That about sums him up!

Booty Bumpers

2010-04-25T10:34:00.004+01:00

One of Kolby and Gabby's favorite made up games is called "Booty Bumpers". We aren't sure how they came up with it, we just know they LOVE playing it. This game consists of the 2 of them bumpin' booties. Very simple. Yesterday it resulted in some pain. Gabby got booty bumped right into a dining room chair. I think their game gets a little violent every once in awhile! Not sure how good you can see her face, but it's pretty bruised. Another weird thing added to the list of things parents must say: No more booty bumpin'.

Minor set backs or is this just life?

2010-04-24T22:55:00.003+01:00

Okay I have been a horrible blogger. Mostly b/c I feel so overwhelmed with not doing it for so long...and I had tried to write one awhile ago with cute videos of the kids but I couldn't get it to work so I got mad and boycotted :)

Well tonight is the night I try again.

New topic than the last though. Thought I would share my stressors for this week. Minor set backs or is this just life?! Probably just life huh?

Last Saturday:
Jon's day to put the final touches on the swing set...digging holes for cement to bolt it down. He went to buy cement and came home with 3 things. You guessed it. A bucket of sand, one of rocks, and a bag of cement. All those trips to Mexico came in handy. Took most of the day!

Sunday:
Go to Carrefor (like a Walmart) as a fam to get some stuff. Had a good time until we got pulled over at a stoplight for not having our tags updated...guess we missed the date by a couple days. Jon makes buddies with the officers while the kids and I sit in the truck with traffic zooming past us on both sides. Conclusion: Can't drive the truck until Jon goes to pay the fine and buy the new tags.

Monday:
I asked our cleaning lady (again) to scrub the bathtub really good b/c there was so much mold. That night when putting the kids in the tub we see gaping holes where she scrubbed the grout right out! Another project for Jon. Until then, duct tape will have to do.

Tuesday:
Since I couldn't drive the truck I had to grab a taxi to go to language class. It just so happens my language class starts at the worst possible time to get a taxi. Kolby, Gabby, and I waited for 40 minutes for a taxi. Then we decided to make the trek home (Jon had dropped us off a ways from our house b/c there was a higher chance of us getting a taxi at that corner and he could drive the truck there and back without seeing any police). Took us 15 minutes, uphill, but we made it. Bonus was they both took naps that afternoon. But I missed my language class.

Wed:
Our first official new day off!! Oh was it wonderful! Just hanging out together, not trying to get too much done, eating out, and watched The Incredibles again (Kolby's new fav). A much needed day for us.

Thursday:
My friend Veronica called in a panic...get this (long story, short)! She SAW a paint can come flying over her wall, landing in her yard, holding human poo!! Now this is the 3rd or 4th time they have found human POOP in their yard, FIRST time she has actually seen it arrive! In a furry, she runs over and flings it BACK over the wall...only to hear a woman yell, "Skun?! skun?! (who is that? who is that?)" Yeah, so basically they had a long talk with their neighbors that day...it was their workers who have been throwing their POOP over the wall into Veronica's yard!

Friday:
I wake up, go down to the kitchen and right away notice the microwave isn't on. We have 4 outlets in our kitchen...one for the fridge, one for the AC, one for the oven, so that leaves one for the dishwasher, microwave, coffee pot, and whatever other appliance I need to run while I am cooking. Sure enough we blew that outlet (probably from having so many things plugged in there all the time). Great. Add another thing to Jon's list.

Today (Saturday):
Jon grouted the bath tub. Now we just have to find sealer. On the third load of laundry the washing machine leaked all over. Sorry, babe. Get one thing crossed off, time to add another! :) Poor Jon!!

Thank goodness my real home is in Heaven!! And I am pretty sure I won't need to shower or do laundry there...

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T20:40:00.003+01:00

I can't mess up His plan...

2010-02-28T11:41:00.002+01:00

"...and as He stands in victory, sin's curse has lost it's grip on me. For I am His, and He is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ...No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me. From life's first cry to final breathe, Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand..."(In Christ Alone, Newsboys)

Jesus was gracious to give me a word today. I was writing frantically in my journal, all my thoughts, concerns, fears, guilty feelings...now really, I don't do this very often so I was freaking out a tad wondering what in the world was going on with me. Read some verses, did some praying, and came downstairs to listen to this song. I can't listen to this song right now without getting goosebumps. As I was listened (for the 10th time) I heard Him whisper, "You cannot mess up my plan." Period. That is it. Truth. He has a plan. I am going to mess up. But b/c of Christ, I cannot mess anything up that He isn't already aware of and can't fix! How about that for confidence today!! No power of hell, no scheme of man, OR any dumb, lazy, thoughtless, or inconsiderate thing I do, can EVER pluck me from His hand. Whew. I feel better.

Baby Alex is here!

2010-02-07T22:04:00.003+01:00

Lots of fun happening around here...Congratulations Ellie on your new baby brother! Veronica ended up with an emergency c-section and scared us all to death but baby Alex and Mom are doing fine now!!
The kids playing dress up...Gabby is wearing Brogan's flower girl dress that she wore in our wedding!
Oh the 3 children...smiles and love just glowing all around...
Kyler is 5 months old as of Feb. 11! This is his first time in the saucer (that all of our friends pass around). And yes, he is fat and happy...18.6 lbs!

Gabby and the twos

2010-01-29T19:03:00.003+01:00

I am realizing this week that there are many things I have already forgotten that Kolby did and said when he was Gabby's age. Even though the "2s" can be trying, they are also filled with lots of laughter due to that child's personality emerging. Here are a couple things I don't want to forget about Gabby's "2s".

She "enjoys" picking out her own clothes, shoes, tights, hair clips, spoons, bowls, you name it, she wants to pick it out. Last night we were reading Jay Jay the Jet Plane. Before I read each page she would have to name each plane. Jay Jay was always Kolby, the pink plane was Gabby, the green plane was Papa or Mee-ma, the strong gray plane was "Daddy", and the firetruck was Jayden (a cousin) or "Unca Ben" (Uncle Ben). Its interesting to me how she usually names everything a family members' name...except if she sees a little girl with blonde hair, then it's always Ellie (her best friend here).

This morning at breakfast she was chatting away (most of which we couldn't understand) over her bowl of cereal. Kolby says, "Gabby, I don't understand anything you are saying!" Gabby replies (hand on hip and getting the sassy head shake going on), "KOLBY! I am talkin' to MOMMA!"

Every time we leave the house we have to go over (and over) who is coming with us. For example, "Daddy going?"

"No, honey, Daddy is staying here."

"Baby Kyler going?" "Kolby going?" "Mommy going?" "Gabby going?"....you get the picture.

She's also into playing this little game. It's called "Where's all the people?" And yes, that is the game. She asks me where all the people are over and over again...whether we are alone, out in public, at someone's house, or in the car. And if she is ready to talk to people and there are none around she wants to call Nana or Mee-ma on the phone NOW. That usually takes care of her "I need people NOW" problem...unless of course it's in the middle of the night in America.

Last night we all sat and watched this little My Little Pony DVD that came in her little tea cup house she got for Christmas. It's so funny to see Jon's reactions to such girly things! I LOVE it!! Gabby and I were having the time of our lives while Kolby and Jon were mocking us...it starts young, the battle of the sexes. I say, "More My Little Pony and pink!" Jon says, "Kolby, lets go downstairs and build a man cave with a pool table."

A couple minutes ago I was laying beside Gabby while she got settled in her bed to go to sleep. It's dark except for the glow of the night light. I think she thought I was asleep. She takes her thumb out of her mouth (which she sucks only while she holds her "Mick", a blue pack n play sheet) and studies it carefully. She cleans it off with her Mick and touches it and talks to it. Then she counts all her fingers real quietly (one, two, pree, pour, pive). She proceeds to LICK each of them! Like she was tasting them to see if they were as good as her thumb. I guess she decided her thumb was still the best choice b/c she talked to it again and stuck it in her mouth, pulled Mick up over her hand and closed her eyes.

Oh the life of a two year old.

First Time for Cereal and Dance Parties

2010-01-26T08:26:00.005+01:00

Kyler had cereal for the first time yesterday. He made the funniest faces. Kolby and Gabby were very excited he was eating "big boy food". Thanks, Rick and Jan, for providing My Little Pony dance parties here at our house!

Ants & Rooms

2010-01-24T17:00:00.004+01:00

Photos I meant to post last week...the kids' rooms with their new sticker decorations; Kolby's tower he built; and this is what happens when you don't sweep the minute after our meal is over! Our pet ants carrying away a piece of Gabby's eggs after breakfast.

Just A Normal Day With Kyler

2010-01-24T16:06:00.002+01:00

Kyler was 4 months old on the 11th. He's super happy and lovable. Kolby and Gabby really can't get enough of him.

Kolbyism

2010-01-23T20:30:00.004+01:00

This afternoon, during naptime, Kolby built this massive "castle" made out of megablocks and wooden blocks. When it came time for him to pick them up he roped Gabby into helping (who did so very willingly). They did a good job for a couple minutes then they started jacking around. So I said, "Hurry it up you slow pokes!"

Here was Kolby's response:
"Mom, you just want us to be your slaves! You got all these toys out and now you want US to pick them up!"

Oh brother! How does he even know what a slave is anyway!

Life happening

2010-01-20T12:19:00.003+01:00

Feeding Kyler on the couch this morning, here is the conversation happening around me…

Gabby: Bye bye! Going to church now! (pulling a rolling wooden fish and holding a Berenstain Bears “Safe and Sound” book)

Kolby: Bye honey! You are my wife and this is our kid (pointing to me) and this is our baby (pointing to Kyler). But our kid has to feed our baby b/c our mom doesn’t have the right breast milk.

G: Hi! Blah blah blah (whatever it was that she was saying, who knows!)

K: Hi honey, how was church? Is that your bear bible about safety gear?

G: Yeah, my bible!

K: God says we should always wear our safety gear so we don’t get hurt on our skateboards, honey…

Seriously cracking me up. We have officially conquered the sleepless night problems! Gabby acts like she is catching up on 3 months of not sleeping well. Yesterday was the first day I let her take a nap (from 1 to 3, I had to wake her up) and she went to bed at 8 p.m. and woke up this morning at 9 a.m. (we didn’t hear a peep out of either of the older kids). Zipping up her jammies has proven to be one of the most brilliant pieces of advice our dear friend Erin has given us. Kolby has been sleeping great also. They helped me put their new “decorations” on their walls Sunday night. They were super excited and love playing in their rooms now b/c of them! Yesterday we started back up with Arabic. Jon worked at home (so Kyler could get his morning nap) while Kolby, Gabby, Angie, and I headed to Manel’s school from 9 to 11. So nice!! Imen watched the kids in the “kid room” while Angie and I jumped into language (I’m moving up…level 2). It’s so great to study with someone else and NOT at my house! I have basically been studying with Manel on my own for 2 years…minus the couple months I studied with my friend Jen B a year or so ago.

We officially have a bedroom to ourselves again. Last night we moved Kyler down the hall. Ah, life as it should be. Today we have our first AWANA since being back. Jon is working on hotel/travel arrangements for a group coming on Saturday. Ang and I are planning a baby shower for Veronica and Jen for Thurs. night. Kolby starts preschool in the afternoons tomorrow 3 days a week (2 with Ang, one with me). Manel’s other sister is offering a kiddie art class on Saturdays for an hour. So this Sat. I will take the K boys and my kids to art class! That ought to be interesting. Let’s see…what else? Yesterday Kolby and Gabby spent an hour running up and down the stairs to retrieve their “parachute men” Aunt Renee gave them for Christmas. They sent them sailing from Kolby’s balcony. Good exercise. Thanks, Aunt Renee. Good stuff happening around here in Africa. I also decided today that my ants are more like pets now. Instead of having a dog to eat all the crumbs off the floor, my ants do it! It just takes them a whole day and night. But if I leave the crumbs there long enough they will fit them all through the cracks in the walls and then be gone! Hey, if you can’t have a pet dog (b/c they are all strays and scary) then why not have pet ants?

Saturday and Sunday...Week 1

2010-01-17T15:11:00.000+01:00

We decided to focus our efforts on the basement. The plan: get the basement cleaned, organized and ready for our friends who arrive on Feb 3. The obstacles: mildew in the storage space, where to put other people’s stuff that we are currently storing, and time. Angie came over for a tuna fish lunch and the movie UP. She watched the kids and listened for sleeping Kyler while we attacked (Ang was our answer to the question of “time”). Slow moving, but we are at least moving ahead. We had Kolby’s carseat, double stroller, single stroller and a ton of other stuff in the storage space downstairs…now covered in mildew. What is the differernce between mold and mildew? Looks the same to me…

Another project needing some attention would be our bathroom upstairs. We need a new shower curtain (our other one is covered in mold), new toilet seat (it pinches your bootie every time you sit on it and the hardware is barely holding it in place), and to teach Kolby to hit the toilet the whole time he’s peeing!

Gabby is still not staying asleep…she fell asleep at 8:30 and then consistently woke up every 30 minutes to 2 hours until 1 a.m. In that time frame she yelled “Mommy!”, cired, and took her diaper off a couple times. The last time it happened she peed on her bed and the mattress that is on the floor (to catch her incase she ever falls out). I’m not as smart as Erin…I am going to have to start turning her jammies around and zipping her up the back too! She is going to send Jon and I both right over the edge! Kolby went to bed at 8:30 and we didn’t hear a peep out of him till 9 a.m. And of course Kyler is sleeping like a champ now! So great!

Sunday consists of pancakes made by Daddy and Kolby, watching CCV online, and a park run (Jon took the kids while I stay to organize the upstairs and Kyler naps…oh wait, and write this blog). Tonight Jon has a training so I think I will catch up on some reading after I do Turbo Jam J. Week one for us is almost up. And our internet works! I thought that would not be the case at all…huge blessing. Gabby wanted to call Nana (Nee-nah) and Grandma (Mee-ma) the minute she woke up this morning. I told her she was going to have to wait till later in the day. That was not the answer she was looking for. Kolby has been building things all over with his new toys and legos. And I see he left his little flashlights and his tea light candle (an electric one) on…

All in all, week one not too shabby! We will see what week two brings!!

Friday...Day 4 of our first week home

2010-01-15T21:17:00.001+01:00

Today we were reunited to our house cleaner Samira. It’s so hard to be excited to see people when you can only communicate a couple of things to them! Manel, our language teacher, is stopping by this afternoon. Thankfully she speaks English or I just couldn’t handle it (b/c I really want to catch up with her!). Jon took off this morning to investigate his language class possibilities and try his luck with the Internet company…again. He’s already talked to them once. Last night I made a run to the “Walmart” type store here (Geant). It was so great pushing around that big heavy cart piled high with groceries, diapers, toilet paper (you know, the usual)…and not being pregnant while doing it! I realized I am used to not being pregnant in America only. While being back here I am still praising Jesus that my pregnancy is over! For too long I lugged around my laundry baskets (up and down 3 flights of stairs) and got groceries with 2 kids and huge pregnant…doing these things with my own body back will not be taken for granted! It was interesting to me how things have changed at Geant. Like I saw powdered creamer! Not flavored but still…I have never seen creamer here before. And now they have a “pet” aisle (for those 5 families here who actually have a pet???). Lots more selections of towels too…bright colors…but one towel for $15!

Last night the kids slept pretty good. I had to get up with them a couple times. But we had to get them up at 8 a.m. since Samira was here. Hopefully we are on our way to adjusting to this time zone. Jon and I keep saying, “Gosh, I am still hungry.” Then Jon finally said, “Oh yeah, I bet we are hungry all the time b/c of the food!” Duh. We totally forgot how long it took our bodies to adjust to the food here 2 years ago. Crazy that only 3 months away can make a difference. K & G are constantly eating too. Yesterday Gabby had 3 yogurts at one time.

Slowly getting things put away. I bought some of those sticky things to decorate the kids’ rooms with! I am so excited to put them up!! I bought Kolby basketballs, soccerballs, etc. and Gabby has flowers. Poor Kyler, who knows where he will end up in the mix! Maybe Kolby’s room someday, maybe his own room? Depending on what happens in the future I guess. For now we will move him to our fourth, bedroom which is our guest room/Jon’s office. We need to start working on our basement and turn it into our “guest house”. Our friends from Venezuela are coming back in Feb! They will be living down there until they find a new home, We are so excited for them and still SHOCKED they actually got their visa after waiting for SO LONG!

Time to feed Kyler. He’s such a happy little thing. I finally got him moved to a 3 ½ hour schedule so I feel like I have so much time during the day J. (P.S. Jon got the internet working!!!!)

Surprises, 1/12/2010

2010-01-12T12:52:00.000+01:00

Surprises, 1/12/2010

First surprise, it’s 9:30 a.m. Tuesday morning and everyone is still asleep!

I woke up at 7 a.m., drank some water, put some kitchen stuff away, threw away some old stuff, organized and swept a little. By that time it was 8 a.m. and still, no noises from upstairs. I woke Kyler up to feed him (his last feeding had been at 11 p.m.). He was happy and content, full of lots of things to tell me as he watched me from his bouncy seat. I think he’s glad to be home too. 45 minutes later he is down for a nap, I’ve had a cup of coffee and muffin (made by one of my fabulous friends here…I noticed the muffins have cranraisins in them maybe? Somebody loves me to spare their cranraisins on someone who just indulged in lots of American food!), read some Psalms and James, and did some praying.

Which leads to surprise number 2. This feeling of love for this place! Not sure why I am so surprised by it…but sitting here amongst the chaos of my house (after Jon unpacked all the crates last night and made piles, he’s amazing) I feel this joy and love for life here. I felt the same joy and love waking up in America 3 months ago. But I am appreciating different things. For example, the sounds of Epiphany (what we call our city since we don’t use the real name in America) that I woke up to this morning are so different from America but so familiar now. There is a slowness in the sounds…a slow-paced lifestyle, not a lot of hustle and bustle. It sounds crisp and natural. The call to prayer reminded me again of the freedom we live in through Christ. It’s not taken for granted for me here. That feeling was easily lost when I was in America. Yet in America I felt surrounded by faithful followers. Here you fight for that.

Suprpise number 3. The ants in the kitchen aren’t making me want to cuss and throw things! Something about seeing them made me feel at home instead! Weird!! I kind of feel like an adult again, a little more in control of my life. I didn’t realize I felt like such a “kid” again being around parents and siblings. Nor did I realize how out of control I felt living out of a suitcase for 3 months. Here I feel purposeful sitting in my home that is my job to keep running smoothly (schedules, cooking, cleaning, organizing, raising kids). I feel older here, more responsibility. But that is probably b/c we actually live here. In America we were living it up on good food, someone else was ultimately responsible for the house we were staying in, and it wasn’t really my job to cook and clean! Thanks Mom and Lorie for doing all that for us!! Now that I am here, I really do feel like I had a vacation from my “life”. When do moms ever get that kind of vacation?! Sorry, friends, wish you all could have one too!

Surprise number 4: Everything made it! Nothing broke! The worst thing that happened was one of my spaghetti sauce seasoning packets got a little tear it in, but it was contained in it’s ziplocked bag and the crate that was sitting on the floor thru the night must be on a hot water line (which heats our house) b/c when I unpacked my bags of chocolate chips 2 of them were melted and hot!

Surprise number 5. I’ve blogged twice since being back and it’s only been 10 hours! And everyone is still sleeping at 10 a.m.!!

Traveling Details, 1/11/2010

2010-01-12T12:48:00.001+01:00

For those of you are into details here are some from our trip!

We left the Grogg house at 9:36 a.m., made it to the airport and security with only minor problems like I forgot to take my quart size bag of liquids out of my book bag but remembered to take them out of the other carry ons (and now I am told that I should consider baby wipes a liquid too, side note for mother travelers). We checked 7 suitcases and an infant car seat. (It’s going to be Christmas all over again by the time we get them all unpacked.)

Arrived in Atlanta on a super nice plane at 3:30 p.m. (AZ time), the ones where each chair has their own TV in the chair. Kolby and Jon sat in the 2 chairs on the very right side of the plane while Gabby, Kyler and I in the 2 chairs on the very left side. We were separated by 3 chairs down the middle. But Gabby and I quickly made friends with the middle aisle, due to Gabby’s charming personality ☺ and they helped us “stow our carry on” (which continued to be a problem each flight b/c we could never find a space for it…but kept our bookbags at our feet.). The stewardess tried to take our ONE bag to put up top (I think a family of 5 could be allowed to store one freaking bag!) The nice newly weds fought with me to shove it above us ignoring her. They saw the tears spring into my eyes! Don’t mess with the mom of 3 traveling for 24 hours. I knew if she checked it she would check it all the way thru to Africa so I was panicking. Seriously, if you are flying with a carry on that can go under your feet PUT the stupid thing at your feet! The couple that helped us were on their honeymoon. So I explained to Gabby how she had just been in a big Cinderella dress. She started dancing around telling everyone in ear shot about her “lella” dress.

Grabbed some Panda Express and Happy Meals in Atlanta. While Jon and the kids got “lunch” I tried my best to get us bulk head seating AGAIN. Not happening AGAIN. The gate across from us was swarming with men and women serving in the army. I didn’t get a chance to look exactly where they were going but probably the Middle East somewhere. Instead of strangling the guy behind the counter at my gate, I decided to count my blessings! Here we were headed overseas together as a family, while tons of wives, husbands, and children were saying goodbye to their loved ones.

Boarded our overseas plane with Jon and I cussing sometimes out loud and sometimes in our heads ☺. People with no small children sitting in the bulk head seating AGAIN while we had ONE carry on to stow in the top and Jon had to put it ALL the way in the back of the plane. I was sitting next to a big man from Mali, super sweet and nice thank you Jesus. Gabby sat next to me, but then I realized there was no way I was going to be able to feed kyler next to the big man, so Gabby and I moved to the outside aisle with 2 seats and Kolby and Jon moved to the inside one. Gabby was such a mommy’s girl ALL day so it was tricky juggling her and Kyler. Daddy stepped in to save the day when I thought to myself, “This is NEVER going to work!” for the 100th time. After I feed Kyler and they let us take off our seatbelts (about 6:45 p.m. Phoenix time already!) Jon got Kyler to fall asleep on the chair next to him (he made a little tent over him to keep the light out and everything) and Kolby to fall asleep on the floor. I had to hold Gabby in several thousands of positions throughout the flight but she fell asleep right away too. Basically our kids slept from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Jon and I tried to sleep a little inbetween Gabby and Kolby waking up and crying. Gabby’s eyes were gooey and watery so I think she has an infection in them again. Kolby would just wake up coughing or bumping his head on something. All in all they did great. It was a harder trip than going to America but I really think it’s harder b/c you are traveling during your real night of sleep. Going to America we were in the van driving to my parents house (where we could sleep from KC to Topeka) by 3 a.m. our time so we didn’t have to push thru an all-nighter.

Landed in Paris. Funny how when we fly to France after being in Africa we always comment on how neat, clean and organized it is. This time, we were SO annoyed b/c they were slow and disorganized! We got used to America way too fast. We had to check in and get a boarding pass, try to rush through security, and run to our gate that was boarding. We made it! Thanks for all your prayers. We made all our connecting flights no problems. Jon sat with Kolby and Gabby while I sat across from Kyler and I. They served the best fish and couscous (not even kidding). And this little lemon pastry! Cracks me up that we get peanuts in America and a five course meal in France on our 2 hour flight! The kids watched “UP” (first time to get out the DVD player) while Kyler slept. Jon kept the trays of food from going all over somehow while juggling squirming over-tired children. Arrived in Africa at 7 a.m. exactly Phoenix time!! Uh good grief it’s pure torture! At some point on our Paris to Africa flight I had just wanted to lay down so bad and sleep. But Jon is a good encourager and together we somehow made it out into the airport with happy children, walked right through customs (no more HINI testing happening), picked up our luggage super fast (for here) and greeted our friends in the airport, Jon pushing 5 bags, me pushing 3 and Gabby (and wearing Kyler).

What great friends we have! Right away Kylan stepped into take over my pushing job, Justin helped Jon and Angie and I got to say “HELLO! YEAH!! SO GOOD TO SEE YOU HUGS HUGS…” You know what normal friends do after not seeing eachother ☺ Veronica, Ellie, Kristie and Kian awaited us at our house at about 4 p.m. Africa time (8 a.m. Monday morning in Phx). The kids reunited easily, Veronica is ready to have that baby in a month, everyone drew us pictures, left us special treats including groceries and diapers. Seriously, again, I feel like we have the easy life with everyone helping us out!! THANKS!!

The kids ran in the yard and climbed in the tree house…till Kolby had a melt down (about 30 minutes after arrival)…we put him to bed and he just woke up at 8 p.m. He’s playing in his room (it’s freezing in there, the heater in the kids’ rooms aren’t working) having a good ol’ time! Gabby stayed awake for another hour or so but then put herself to bed once she had picked out jammies and wrapped her baby up to put in her wooden cradle. Jon and I went to bed right away too.

Now it’s 10 p.m. (Monday night) for us. The whole fam is up (minus Kyler). We slept about 3 hours. Jon is attacking the luggage while I sit here and blog (even though we don’t have internet but I figure I can go send it from Veronica’s internet tomorrow). Kolby wanted to pop popcorn and have a juice box. Gabby joined us now and has some shoes on over her jammies and keeps going up and down the stairs to “see” her room. Kolby is already building with his legos and has said funny things like, “Ah, I like the smell of our bathroom.” Home again home again jiggity jig (that’s for our mothers). We have both commented on how loud it is in here b/c of the concrete and how glowing white it is! It took us back to 2 years ago arriving with the Holdrens and how weird it felt…the smells, feel, and sounds! But it’s already becoming super familiar again.

Love you all. Great to have home in two special places!

There's No Place Like Home

2010-01-09T22:23:00.003+01:00

Really, there is no place like home huh? For us, home happens to be in two places. I think Jon and I feel less stressed here in America. Things feel "normal" to us. And our family and friends are here. BUT we are also ready to go "home" to Africa in the morning. There we also have "family and friends" now...and it's the place that the 5 of us live and breath together. For our kids, that place is home. Both Kolby and Gabby have loved being here in America, seeing their cousins and grandparents, meeting up with little friends, and enjoying American luxuries like Chuckee Cheese :) However, they are both ready to be "home", in their home where their beds and blankets and toys are! It's interesting that this will be a dynamic in our family that will most likely last a lifetime. Even if we didn't live in Africa sometime in the future, it will be a place where our kids feel at "home", while Jon & I will most likely always feel at "home" in both places. It's weird we flew away from our home 3 months ago with a 6 week old and now we are flying back with a 4 month old. We are packed up in our 5 black crates, 2 suitcases, infant car seat and our carry-ons. What a pain to make it all 50 lbs! Why can't I just shove as much in as I can? That would make traveling easier for sure. We will fly off around noon tomorrow from Phoenix. Thanks to the guy who had the bomb that didn't work...hopefully security won't hinder our flight schedule! Thanks to ALL of our family and friends that have given generously to us of your time, money, friendships, gifts, and hugs!! Who knows what awaits us...no internet? a broken truck? And our home! Thought I would post one thing just in case :) We love you all!!

Happy New Year...Jon & others starting it off right!

2010-01-01T20:56:00.005+01:00

Jon's got his game face on driving to CCV to join his fellow "207" bikers on New Year's Day...
Impressive group right here...committed to riding 207 miles on their bikes to Mexico in order to raise awareness of the poverty happening there...
Jon hurries to get his gear on...so the riders can start at 7:30 a.m.! They are planning to ride 110 miles today...to let you in on a little secret, the furthest Jon has gone for this is 30 miles :)
And off they go!! Gabby went with me to cheer Daddy on. The whole way back to Grandma and Grandpa's house she said, "Where my Daddy go? (voice of sadness) ON A BIKE! (voice of happiness)"

Yes, it has been a LONG time since I have posted a blog...let's start the year off right by showing off my husband! We have been in America since October 19, heading back to Africa January 10. Our good friend Ian had this crazy idea from God to bike to Mexico from Phoenix, 207 miles, raising awareness and money for houses/people/poverty in Mexico. Of course Jon thought this would be a chance of a lifetime and hopped on board, not realizing it might be tough to train for something like that while visiting family and friends that we haven't seen in two years! As I type they have hit the 80 mile marker with 30 miles left to go for the day!! Jon is sticking it out but just text me to say he's feeling the pain! Ian's wife, Erin, is following in their truck and says Jon is a rockstar!

If you want to know more about 207 go to Facebook and look up "207 miles"!!

Our THREE Children

2009-09-26T09:43:00.005+01:00

The morning after baby Kyler arrived...meeting his Big brother and sister. They were super excited to finally hold him and touch him instead of Mommy's belly. Kolby asked, "Why is your stomach still so big?" :) Nothing helps motivate you more than your four year old.
Kyler Joshua, 7 lbs 2 ounces, 20 inches long, and lots of black hair.

Angie took these pics for us of his first week. She did a great job...and it helps of course that all three of our kids are precious!
Gabby and "mick" and her thumb....

(hmm, not sure why this pic is so weird....but I am too tired to take it off and try again...)
Kolby's tooth is still hanging on!

Kyler came 2 weeks early just like I prayed :) It's nice when the Lord answers prayers just the way you want!! He was born on Friday, September 11 at 9:52 p.m. The surprise for me was the way he was born. Kyler decided he wanted to be born face up instead of face down...but the Doctor and his mom decided it was better for him to come face down. After a long, tiring labor, dilated to a 9, I gladly accepted a spinal block so I could endure the Doctor turning Kyler while I pushed. Which really at that point I wanted someone to knock me over the head :) but I could still feel all the contractions (and was given pitocin at that point to increase them so we could get Kyler out). To our relief he was finally out, smashed nose, forehead and all. I had started preparing myself for a c-section. I was so happy the Doctor was willing to wait and help (I will spare all the details of my "african" birth). Yesterday he was 2 weeks old already....and actually today is his actual due date. Jon has been busy getting lots of paperwork together so Kyler can get a passport. On Wednesday we made a trip to the American Embassy (my first time inside). When we left I was like, "Wow! I haven't experienced customer service like that in a long time!" Kyler should have a passport in 10 days.

Now that Kyler has arrived safe and sound, we are working on adjusting to having 3 children, a baby's schedule, and getting to America. Jon stayed home for a week and we have had lots and lots of help from our friends here...great meals, lots of offers to play with Kolby and Gabby while I get rest, and lots of love and encouragement. Kyler is super sweet, so tiny, and seems to be more like his brother already. He likes to eat after exactly 3 hours, he likes to nap most of the day, and he likes when his brother and sister talk to him. His first smiles have been for them. But he has saved some smiles for Jon and I too.

ha...thanks, Erin....

2009-09-05T14:54:00.002+01:00

just reminded by my friend Erin that we all have 10 fingers and 10 toes....dude, can I blame that on baby brain and being super tired or what?

Our first big ouchy in Africa

2009-09-03T13:04:00.003+01:00

Here is our brave boy!! Kolby was running up our MARBLE STAIRS on Tuesday night and slipped, hitting his front teeth on the edge of the step. These pics were taken the next morning. He wanted to look at himself :) Yeah, notice the jewels...he says he's King Kolby...we will go along with that for now :) Thankfully our friend Veronica knows all about teeth :) She came over in the morning to look at his left front tooth. From the pic you can tell it's loose and crooked. Veronica went to the dentist with us yesterday morning. The dentist was FABULOUS, very gentle and kind. And Kolby was super excited to show him his tooth, ride in the big chair, and get an xray. The conclusion: he fractured his left front tooth in 2 places. Estimated time is about 2-3 months the roots will die and his tooth will probably be falling out. I am just thankful it's a baby tooth. Today his poor lip is still swollen but he is eating better and running around. His biggest fear was that he was going to lose all his teeth. He really wanted to go to the doctor so the doctor could make it all better. He's been great with the whole thing...a little whiny with me but I think that's because he knows that Mommy will baby him all he wants!! And she has! It just reminds me that in an instant myself or someone I love could be changed forever...with a little or big accident. Thankfully this one was little. I am still counting my blessings that I have 2 healthy children with 5 fingers and 5 toes...

This waiting game is over...

2009-09-03T12:27:00.002+01:00

Our friends finally had their baby girl!! She was 8 days late...but came out in about 4 hours!! First baby...in africa...Susie is a champ! Welcome, Maisy!! We can't wait to sit around and stare at you some more!
Our friend Cerena has been visiting for a month...wow...who knew someone could visit for a month and it go by so fast with very little stress! The most stressful thing we had to figure out was what kind of bagels should we make this week?! Cerena stayed with our friend Ang mostly but we sure enjoyed every minute we got to have with her. She was fabulous with our kids and helped Angie put on a VBS. We were sad to see her go...for real, Gabby started crying when they drove off in the truck to take her to the airport! :( Maisy was born the day Cerena left so she got to see her at the hospital.
Gabby's turn to kiss and hug baby Kyler...which she does about 3 times a day...she loves him, loves him already!! Good news for us. 3 weeks left! Then we will see what she really thinks of him.
Taking Kolby to preschool for the first day...at Angie's house! He goes there Mondays and Thursdays from 9 to 10:30. Tuesdays and Fridays are my days...Jon get Wednesdays! Every day I do a reading lesson with him from this book called "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". So far he's flying high. And Angie's house is his new favorite place...our house and Veronica's house were voted out he informed me last week. This pic was also to show off our truck...that its back...and that we now have a car port to protect it.
Our last bagel making day with Cerena here! We made garlic, salt, pepper & oregano; pumpkin, nutmeg, and cinnamon; and brown sugar, cinnamon & pecan. Oh so good. These girls are SO good to our kids...they let them crawl all over them, interrupt them, antagonize them...and they just keep playing with them. It confirms that Jesus meant what he said in Matthew 10:29...whoever leaves his father or mother or sister, etc...will receive a hundred times as much...Seems like He always sends us people to love on us at just the right times. And they really do love us like family (of course, no one can replace family though...I know what you are thinking, Mom!).

Good gifts this month

2009-08-13T06:47:00.005+01:00

Six weeks and counting for baby Kyler's arrival. Kolby and Gabby love touching my belly, kissing it, and talking to it. It's pretty cute how excited Kolby is to have a brother. My "baby to do" list is pretty big, but I have been blessed with some extra time this week to get stuff done. That feels good. Gabby is now in her big girl bed but has developed some new habits :) like sucking her thumb and carrying the pack n play sheets around everywhere! No one has ever seen her suck her thumb outside the pack n play...but now she is doing it all the time. She likes to ask Jon and I to hold her like a baby and rock her. Oh man! This should be fun for her when the real baby arrives...
Our quick run to France...Jon practiced taking care of both kids on the flight while I sat across the aisle in bliss! He did a great job by the way. We are practicing for the long flight to America. My job will be easy compared to his I think. I guess it depends on Kyler's personality...

Kyler likes coffee :) Waiting for our flight home from Lyon.Okay, and so does Gabby! I swear she steals my cup often and this is what happens...she seriously drinks it all.
Kolby enjoying his beverage of choice...with his new friend Marty. We visited Toys R Us in Lyon...a WHOLE new world for them! I'm sure Kolby has been there before but he didn't remember, Gabby has never been there...and we were pretty overwhelmed ourselves. What a treat! Toys R Us, McDonalds, Starbucks, a mall, and our favorite mode of transportation--subways, metros, and lots of walking. It was a refreshing time to just be together and enjoy life a little.
Gabs lounging at Starbucks...it's hard to believe how grown up both our kids seem some days. We were trying to enjoy how easy it is to travel just the 4 of us right now. They are such experienced little travelers that it makes our trips pretty enjoyable (for the most part!).
A baby shower for our friend Susie...who is due next Saturday. We are all pacing around waiting...and praying she has her little girl before Ramadan starts...but there is a big chance both of us will give birth during Ramadan. Veronica is due in Feb. with a BOY! So our girls (Gabby and Ellie) are 6 months apart and our boys will be about 5 months apart. We have had a great support system through friends here...so thankful for that this summer being huge pregnant, 2 kids, the heat, and no car! I have had to rely on our friends for LOTS of help!! Thanks, friends!!
Jon bowling on a Friday night with friends.
Kool-aid popsicles with Daddy outside one day while playing in the sand box and baby pool.

This morning I am reading Philippians 4...being reminded by Paul that my contentment and reliance on Christ should not be based on my circumstances. Of course, this summer has been a roller coaster for us it seems like. Kicked it off with moving to a new place (harder than it sounded back then!), our mode of transportation stuck in the shop for 2 months, an off or on internet...just to name a few things that sent us spinning a couple times. It has been serious work to not lose my mind most days...just ask Jon! Poor guy. But now that we have our truck back (as of Friday) and our internet back (as of Friday too), it's amazing to me how my stress level has dropped and my contentment level has went up. Maybe I failed the contentment test this summer :) or maybe I have grown. I hope I have grown....at any rate, my stomach has! But I hate that my contentment relies so heavily on what is going right around here and what is going wrong.

These verses also grabbed me, written by Paul:
"I have received FULL payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:18-19

The song in my heart this morning...we've received full payment this summer...from prayers, words of encouragement, packages, pictures, letters, phone calls, emails...all fragrant offerings!! Everything we needed to help us survive. May God meet all YOUR needs also...thinking of you this morning, family & friends!

And now a performance from Gabby...imitating Alex the Lion in Madagascar II.

Video of K & G on Jon's Bday

2009-07-31T05:47:00.002+01:00

Waiting for Daddy's birthday cookie to be done in the oven...oh so fun! :)

Jon's Birthday and then some...

2009-07-30T16:57:00.002+01:00

The kids were so excited to help Jon celebrate his 31st birthday! It was pretty entertaining! They were super giddy and excited the whole day. We made pizza (with pepperoni yeah!!) and a pizookie...all Jon's request. Kolby made him this "pirate ship" for his birthday too.
Jon built the kids a sand box in our back yard! It's heavenly (as long as the ants aren't going crazy)! They will play forever in it...unless it gets too hot which it has been recently so they usually play in the mornings. This was the first morning of play, a Sunday morning. Jon and I sipped coffee while the kids went to town.
A package from Grandma...July 4th plates which Kolby requested to use...and yummy muffin mix...
Gabby sportin' her new shades and flip flops from Gma! Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!! It was a great package!

His Great Love

2009-07-09T06:04:00.003+01:00

Yesterday morning started by reading Psalm 107. The theme that stuck out for me was God's continued, delayed deliverance...it's never too late to cry out to Him, He's ready to save, and waiting for us to ask. THEN give thanks (v 1, 8, 15, 21). His acts of saving (v 9, 14, 16, 20, 29, 30, 41) in this psalm ended up being exactly what I needed for the day. And in the end...it really IS thankfulness that automatically flows out of my heart. Whew. "For great is Your love, higher than the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies." (Psalm 108:4)

My friend Veronica and I got up early to walk. I hurried and showered so I could be ready before the kids got up at 7 since Jon now leaves at 7:30 everyday for his language class. Kolby would be going with Kristie and her boys to VBS at 8:20. Kristie ended up being sick so we worked up a plan. Veronica would take Gabby, I would take their truck (our truck has now been in the shop for a month) with the boys to VBS from 9 to 1, and Kristie could get some rest. So by 8 we are walking out the door to Veronica's. I tell Kolby to go potty before we head out for the day. He goes to the bathroom (at V's house) and locks the door...yep...and then he can't get the door unlocked. Funny thing about the doors around here...you can't really break in :) Bars on the windows; the hinges to the door are on the inside with Kolby. Kolby starts FREAKING out...Veronica herds the girls to the other room while Justin and I stand there trying to figure out what the heck to do. It's so hard to think when your child is seriously in distress! Justin is trying to put the screwdriver in the lock and keeps pushing out the key. Kolby keeps trying to put the key back in and screaming louder saying he needs a new key...Justin goes to try and find something else and I am trying to talk to Kolby through the key hole. My first thought is "I will call Jon 800 times if I have too and he will come with an axe and break down this door!" My second thought is "Jesus, PLEASE, help me get Kolby out!" I'm starting to panic now...probably 5 minutes has gone by really. No lie, in that moment Kolby just gets hacked and takes the key and throws it under the door. It slides right by my hand, I grab it and unlock the door from the outside. (Wow! What a novel idea! One neither Justin or I could think of!!) Thankfully, by 8:30 Kolby and I were on the road to VBS calm and happy. All I could think about was Psalm 107...and I told Kolby that Jesus gave him the wisdom to throw the key under the door...that made him feel so proud and immediately he calmed down (funny, after VBS I tried to give him some cough medicine and he said he didn't need it b/c God was going to heal him!!). The 30 minute drive to VBS consisted of me telling God thank you over and over for helping us get out of little situations.

I'm convinced Jesus helped Kolby throw the key under the door :) Seems like we need help out of tons of little situations around here these days...waiting for a taxi in the heat, finding someone that speaks English at just the most frustrating time, a friendly offer from a friend to help, knowledge to deal with whatever comes up...whatever it is, God has seriously dug us out of some holes! Always faithful..."Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men..." (Psalm 107:8)

If you want to experience part of our life...

2009-07-04T22:29:00.005+01:00

It's 10:30 p.m. Shouldn't I be in bed? Of course there are no fireworks to watch here, so why stay awake? I just took 3 short videos. It's a good reason to stay awake. Go ahead, turn up your computer, the volume is about that loud at my house right now, and enjoy the wedding music from our neighbor's house.

This is me standing in the dark in our living room. Our house is dark, everyone (but me) is asleep upstairs.

This is when I am standing in our kitchen. If I were to go upstairs and take a video, it would sound the same...even with our fans and air conditioners running. Please note, all our windows and doors are closed tightly! But now I will walk out the kitchen door onto our balcony so you can get a close up on the action. Unfortunately the first time I hit the wrong button on the camera so you don't get to see the arrival of the bride...which consisted of a long line of cars waiting outside the driveway, honking like crazy. But this will still give you a good taste.

This wedding party will be kickin' till around 2 or 3 a.m...hopefully I will be asleep by then. Not sure though! Inshallah (if the Lord wills)!!!

I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag

2009-07-04T10:11:00.005+01:00

Little Miss Sparkles in her outfit from Nana, hand-me-down heeled sandals from cousin Jayden, and painted toes thanks to Imen (our sitter for when I am in language class.)

Mr. Happy Pants after his second trip to the barber! He did great and was really excited...he just didn't want to have his picture taken.

This is what Kolby does during Gabby's naptimes...he's always building something. Today he built "the United States tower".

Kolby's friend Amelia called to say hello today. He was so funny...he walked around talking to her and pacing back and forth. This was his first sentence, "Hi Amelia! I am the super hero. What are you?"

America's birthday cake...complete with marshmellow stars, skittles, and a cake mix!

July 4th takes on a whole other meaning for me now that we are living overseas. It's weird to think that our kids won't learn to say the Pledge of Allegiance or sing the National Anthem unless we teach them. Thanks to Nat & my mom we have some fun July 4th things to help us celebrate...stars (which are actually becoming part of our bedroom decor), napkins, candles, and cute clothes for the kids. Kolby has been so excited to put on his July 4th t-shirt. He wanted to get dressed right away this morning. Yesterday we practiced singing Happy Birthday dear America while the kids took turns blowing out the July 4th candle...so this morning we made a birthday cake (trying to use the oven before it gets blazing hot). Jon recited the Pledge with them at breakfast too. Oh the little things that seem so so familiar...but might never feel as familiar for our children. Thankfully they have been super excited about the whole thing. I think it helps when we try to make a big deal about it. I'm trying to remember that I need to really explain American holidays to the kids. It's easy to just keep it all inside my head in the midst of busyness. So I described to Kolby what we used to do while living in America for July 4th and what his cousins might be doing today to celebrate along with him. I'm proud to be an American living in a different country. My prayer is someday my kids will be too. That they will see how the Lord has blessed us as Americans, and be excited to bless others because of it.

Three cheers for America!! Getting ready to sing Happy Birthday with our friends!

GRASS

2009-06-29T07:44:00.006+01:00

Above are the before shots of our yard, taken 2 1/2 months ago. Lots of dirt, glass, over grown stuff, trash...then Jon got ahold of it :)

For over a month, Jon has been diligently watering our grass 3 times a day to get it to grow. His dedication paid off. On Sunday the yard dudes came and cut the grass. What a huge difference...well, for us it is a huge difference. Already Kolby and Gabby were out running around in it and climbing the trees. Good thing Jon is so disciplined...he never complained once about how much time it takes to water grass 3 times a day! Amazing what helps make our house a home.

By the way, yesterday Kolby told us that when he looks out over his balcony he can either see the city or the "stinkin' trash".

Gabby's second birthday

2009-06-23T14:12:00.004+01:00

We celebrated Gabriella's second birthday and our friend Kian's third birthday together one night (her bday was June 6). The kids played in the little baby pool we have and with water balloons. (Elianna, Kian, Kolby, Gabby, and Kaedren)

Yeah, I made that cake! Thanks to bettycrocker.com and my mom (who brought all the candy, cake mix, and frosting for it!). It's supposed to be a purse with a coin purse.

Singing Happy Birthday and blowing out candles. This is my pregnant friend Susie (she is 5 weeks ahead of me...it's her first baby give me a break! I know I am bigger than her!) And also my good friend Veronica. Thought I would throw this picture in for a belly shot.

Okay for real I am done blogging now!

Our Growing Baby

2009-06-23T13:57:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I had a doctor's appointment. I really wish I could take the camera and take a picture of his office. It cracks me up. He has a desk that we sit at while we "talk" for about 20 minutes (mostly in English thank goodness!). Then he takes me through a door to his little exam room. It seriously looks like something you would see about 30 years ago in America...minus the ultrasound machine. Here you have an ultrasound every time you go to the doctor. The schedule is different too...you go every 4 weeks no matter what trimester you are in. So the next time I go, I will already be 30 weeks. That is hard to believe. Also you have to go to a lab to give blood before going to see the doctor...EVERY visit. This last week I had to give blood for about 4 tests and also the glucose test. Then you pick up the results and take them to your doctor appointment. I am a pro at giving blood now. I didn't even bruise this time. I got to see our baby BOY (it's been brought to my attention through emails that I have been bad at sharing this news. Sorry!) He weighs 985 grams and measures at almost exactly 26 weeks (which is what I am). We are sticking with Kyler Joshua (the name we loved before Gabby was born). Kolby is super excited for a brother! He randomly comes up to me and asks if he can see him. Then he lifts up my shirt and touches my belly. It's cute. Okay, there are my updates for the day!! Look at me blogging. Gotta do my homework for language class!

Off and On

2009-06-23T13:43:00.002+01:00

I'm trying to think of how to describe our life these days. Here is one thing that is consistent!

Things that are OFF or ON around here:

1. The flipping water!

2. The heat, then wind, then heat, then wind (which leads to sweep the dust off the floor, sweep it again, and again...you get the point).

3. The air conditioner (it works, it doesn't, it works, it doesn't).

4. Our truck (it's in the shop, it's out, it's in, it's out...)

5. Gabby (sassy on, sassy off, sassy on, sassy off!)

6. Our brains and language learning (this is the first time I've taken an intensive language course. It's from June 15-30 and it's 3 hours/day. Jon will start his intensive June 29- July 24, 3 hrs/day. By the end of my 3 hours I can't see straight! Especially the days I have my other tutor for 2 hours.)

7. Our good attitudes. (We wonder where they go sometimes!)

8. The internet.

(Now for some happy ones!)

9. Our dryer and dishwasher! Yeah!! It's great to have them ON!!! What a HUGE blessing.

10. Isn't it nice that Jesus is always ON? :) It's just me that turns that one off! Humdullah (praise God)!

Our Father's Day

2009-06-21T21:38:00.003+01:00

My husband is so easy to please, what can I say? He requested a trip to the coffee/pastry shop in the morning, cookie dough for snack, and time playing with the kids and I for his father's day gift. Yesterday Kolby made him a card...then he wanted to make a card that said, "Happy Kolby's Day" then another card that said "Happy Spiderman's Day". Every year I put a page or 2 in a special album that is Jon's Father's Day album as his gift. Really, this project gets more fun every year...which memories do you choose when you have fabulous kids and a fun dad? Geesh! The options are endless. Our internet turned back on (after a week of being down) just in time for us to wish our own dad's happy father's day. Jesus is nice to us like that. It's hard being so far away on days like these...just hard to let people know you love them when you take away the gift shopping, internet, and resturants you could eat together at! Happy Father's Day to you Dads that work so hard loving your families, providing for them, and wearing so many different hats as you walk through life reflecting God to those around you by being "Father". Jon, you do so much for us...always fixing whatever breaks next, putting kids to bed and putting them back in bed, always learning, always striving, always apologizing for things I should be apologizing for, always buying me and the kids stuff that we don't really need but you know it will make us happy :) ...oh and so much more! We love you!

Wiving and mothering

2009-05-04T13:35:00.003+01:00

"The family is at the heart of what really matters to all of us. If things aren't well at home, every other area of life is affected...(I admire) the willingness of women to be givers and nurturers of life. These women have chosen life by bearing children and they are choosing life every day...with every meal they prepare; with every load of dirty clothes they wash; with every trip they make to the grocery store, to school, to the dentist, to piano lessons, to soccer practice, or to the store; with every scraped knee they bandage; with every encouraging word they speak; with every night hour they spend rocking a sick or scared child; with every dispute they arbitrate; with every moment they spend building Legos, coloring, helping with math problems, reading a Bible story, or listening to a husband or child describe his day; with every moment they spend interceding for the spiritual growth and protection of their family...Day in and day out they are building a home; they are being life-givers; they are laying a foundation and building a memorial that will outlive them for generations to come; they are honoring their Creator in the greatest possible way."
(Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss)

It's just nice to be reminded sometimes.

Dumb things and new house...

2009-05-03T12:26:00.005+01:00

You know how sometimes when you are pregnant you just do the dumbest things? And break things? For real, I don't even want to be around myself these days! I seriously just grabbed the hot stove with my fingers...this morning I made lattes for our friends over the wall and totally forgot to stir them...I spilled the spaghetti sauce all over the oven...oh it's so annoying. Oh wait is that pregnancy or just me? And I have broken 3 glass cups in a time span of about 2 weeks.

This morning we walked to our new house (which was supposed to be ready on May 1. Surprise it's not, but it's almost ready!). I realized last year when my parents were here they had to endure with us living in our current house while men drilled holes in the walls for air conditioners. This year when they get here our air conditioners will already be in a new house. Oh Lord, let this be the house we will stay in for awhile! Moving is not fun. Here are some before pics...

1. The left side of our yard, and yes, that is a huge piece of broken glass.

2. Our living room, landlord, and the stairs that go upstairs to the bedrooms.

3. Our new kitchen...a little different than the one we have now! But hey, there are no rats in the ceiling (at least we don't think so!)

4. The blue bathroom...oh wait, it gets better!

5. The pink bathroom...and yes, Kolby prophesied that our new house was going to have a pink bathroom!

My favorite part about our new house is three of the four bedrooms upstairs lead onto balconies which is pretty sweet as long as we can keep our children from climbing the rails. We are real safe around here. We also will now live in a stand alone house (meaning there are no people living above or below us). We now have a place to park the truck inside our gated yard...humdallah (ask Erin and Ian about that word...or actually Amelia can say it pretty well!). Oh yea, and let's not forget that now we can plant grass!!!!!

So hopefully by next Saturday we will be settled (I'm not sure if you can ever be settled here...hmmm...) into our new place and life can move on! Kolby seems excited to move so I am thankful for that. Gabby just likes that she can hide in the closets.

Living with the Longs

2009-04-21T15:07:00.004+01:00

About the pics: Lattes in the morning with Ian's omelettes...oh so good. Jon has a new best friend, Amelia. The kids made orange juice the first morning they were here, in their cow boy hats (Thanks, Gma!).
Erin celebrated her birthday here in Africa! We asked a friend to watch the kids and went on a date to this Lebanese restaurant. The Dads are having fun with the kids rolling down this hill at the park on Sunday afternoon.
Oh it was so wonderful to have the Longs for a visit...we are hoping they tell you the same :) What a refreshing time for us. I am pretty sure Jon and I haven't laughed that hard since we moved here. It really reminded us of who we were and who we want to be here.
Erin, the morning you left I read this verse, no lie:
"But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love forever and ever." Psalm 52:8
Our olive wood finds take on a whole other meaning now (its also my verse for Geek Week this week!). Longs, thanks for encouraging us as we try to flourish here. Our time with you was priceless.

They made it...6 crates and all

2009-04-19T07:43:00.003+01:00

And a happy Amelia came bouncy right out of the airport! It was seriously amazing!! She went to bed when Kolby went to bed last night even! I have never seen such an amazing traveling 5 year old before! For those of you who are wondering, Amelia and Kolby hit it right off. They are best buds and even wanted to sleep in the same room last night.

Sorry, the video is a little short. I think we were excited :)

AND...you all are CRAZY!!!!!!!!!! Erin and I were supposed to sort through the crates last night after the boys left (for their first cultural experience, more on that later) and the kids were in bed...well, it took us awhile to get there b/c we had to catch up a little :) CRAZY. You all are nuts, you people from Phoenix! NUTS. We are so SPOILED!! I am trying to not wake Erin up this morning to come make me my first espresso :) hmmmm, what syrup should I choose today? There are only 5 huge ones to choose from....and which granola bar should I have for snack? The options are endless around here I tell you...and which maternity shirt should I wear first...I mean really it's like Walmart in our house today :) Thanks, friends!! Not only for always sending us the BEST most wonderful thoughtful gifts, but for being such good friends who know what we like, what we need, and how to love us from miles away. We are always overwhelmed with gratitude for friends who are so much more than friends...like BOZ the Bear says, "Their family!" Not to worry, I plan on having a conversation with Erin and all of you over my cup of espresso and posting it soon :) It feels like you all are here with them. Love you!

Rats and Reasa don't mix.

2009-03-31T12:05:00.009+01:00

Pics:
Grandma came for a visit!
Kolby and Gabby sporting their new clothes from Aunt Jill and Uncle Ben!
Jon being dangerous with our daughter on the beach.
Kolby trying desperately to stay warm on the beach.
The girls that came to teach the kids while the adults played...I mean worked. :)
The crazies who run into the sea every year when its freezing cold...yes, jon is the 5th one from the left.

Kolby: Man! My pants are giving me a wedgy! (thanks, Val!)
Gabby: OOOOH LA-LA! (again, we have Val to thank for that)

Well, let’s see…it’s hard for me to sum up in words our life these days. Too much too explain! But if you have been one of our lucky visitors this spring I don’t have to explain much…the loud rats that have been playing above our heads for the last 3 months progressed to the dead rat smell that fills Gabby’s room (it was filling our whole house for about 2 weeks but I think it’s subsiding in the house, just not in her room…and no, she doesn’t sleep there anymore). We’ve been hosting and traveling. It seems like this spring has flown by. We were on a retreat in another city for a week on the beach…yeah, poor us. Then we headed to France for 3 nights to renew our visa. Oh yeah, haven’t heard any rats lately…the rat guy put purple cubes of poison up in our ceiling. I guess it kills them and dries up their blood so it doesn’t smell? So far no new smells and no noise so maybe it actually worked. So now we move on…with our 2 bedroom house…but my fabulous husband is starting to look for a new house so maybe if the time is right, and the Lord is willing, we will be moving…sucking in our awaited guests Erin, Ian & Amelia, and my parents!

Okay so really I have no idea why this rat ordeal has thrown me into such a whirlwind! Maybe it’s b/c it’s the straw that broke the camel’s back for the time we have been here…maybe it’s b/c I am pregnant and every smell (including opening my fridge) makes me want to throw up…or maybe it’s just b/c my house not being in order and running properly drives me CRAZY! Okay, so it’s all 3 of those. However there is some humor in this. Our landlord ☺. So first they cut a hole in the ceiling and just left it for 2 days. Then we finally got them to let a professional rat guy come over and when he got here our landlady wouldn’t let him look for the dead rat! THEN she starts telling them that we have ants, cockroaches and rats b/c our house is dirty and I don’t dry the dishes before I put them away!!! (Despite the fact that we saw huge rat terds outside our window a couple months ago and when I told the gardener to kill it he said, “It’s okay, it will just go out under the gate.”) Last night landlady came back to tell Jon she was sending someone to seal up the hole in the ceiling. She suggested we just spray smell good spray up there and that will get rid of the smell! Novel idea really.

Moving on from the rat ☺. Other exciting things happening here, we got a bookshelf! I am overjoyed! I had no idea I would be so happy to have a bookshelf! I think it’s b/c its one of a couple pieces of furniture in our house that we got to actually pick out. The other super exciting thing is my mother in law brought us a memory foam mattress topper! Heavenly! Just in time for me to be big, fat and pregnant. AND I now own a crockpot (thanks, Lorie, for bringing us such great stuff!)! Today I made black beans in it (thanks to my mom and Nat!).

I could go on and on...but you really would get bored.

The kids performing for us after our time together! Notice my kids aren't moving their mouths at all...Gabby didn't know what to do with herself she just knew everyone was watching her! And Kolby is a little wrapped up in the new water gun they gave him as a goodbye gift!

Kolby says there's 5...

2009-02-13T19:48:00.002+01:00

Kolby is pretty sure there are FIVE babies in my tummy...but I am pretty sure there is only ONE...due on September 26 for those of you who HAVEN'T heard on facebook :) The question of the year, "Was this an accident?!" No :) We just decided to stop trusting in ourselves and go with what the Lord was saying! He didn't give us a spirit of fear...I have to keep telling myself that as the reality of what will happen to our world come September starts to sink in! So now we just wait and pray for His provisions. I am trying to contact this french midwife I have heard about...she can't actually practice but she could at least attend the birth, giving Jon and I the "it's okay to relax" feeling (since the language barrier could be a stressor). So hopefully all that will work out. I am 8 weeks tomorrow...on Valentine's Day...Happy Valentine's Day, friends! We are going to celebrate with pancakes with Valentine's sprinkles (from Gma) and cupcakes (from Gma) and gifts (from Nana and Gma) so we of course have all been very excited for tomorrow! Everyday Kolby asks if it's Valentine's Day yet AND says, "Mommy, there are 5 babies in your tummy." Let's all hope there isn't!!!! Or I might be moving back to America :)

Small things that make me laugh

2009-01-23T02:57:00.004+01:00

Recently, Kolby was singing this high pitched super annoying, "AHHHHH LAAA HAHHALLAA..."

I respond: Kolby! Stop that! What are you doing?!

His response: I'm the mosque.

Tonight Kolby & Gabby were taking a bath. I heard Kolby say, "Oh Gabby!! You are in trouble now!"

Jon walks into the bathroom. Kolby says, "Oh Daddy, Gabby is in trouble now! She hit me!"

The revenge of the little sister is starting to come out. And the correction of the 4 year old is shining through.

Gabby currently has a cold. Yesterday Jon sucked her boogers out a couple of times...which of course she hates, what kid doesn't?! Later that night I was sitting in Gabby's room with her while she got out all her dolls. She asked very nicely for the nose sucker (please in sign language), laid her doll on the floor, got a diaper rag & spread it out beside her, held the doll down, and shoved the nose sucker at it...but for some reason she shoved it in it's ears, not it's nose! Next she wanted to put baby vicks rub on the doll's chest and back...I tried to teach her that we could pretend to do it but that she couldn't have the actual vicks. Well, that was the end of that play time :)

A Little African Update in 2009

2009-01-10T19:50:00.003+01:00

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!!

Friends like Blair

2009-01-03T14:56:00.003+01:00

My friend Blair introduced me to this song by Anthem Avenue called “Shut Out the World”. I remember she said, “Every mom needs to listen to this song every day!” So true, Blair! I was just listening to this song and soaking up all this amazing peace from Jesus when out of the blue I burst into tears with the realization that my friend Blair will be moving back to America this spring. I have known Blair for less than a year…isn’t it amazing that you can form such great friendships with others so fast when God is the center of them? I have always believed that will God send me the right friends at the right times…and many of those friends are now my life long friends. Each of them have taught me some amazing new TRUTH that applies to my walk with the Lord. I refer to these friends now (since I moved to Africa) as my “treasure chest” friends. They go with me wherever I go and when in serious need, I reach into my treasure chest and find the gift they have so graciously given me by how they live their own lives. Blair is one of these friends now. When I am with her, I LONG to know Jesus better and more fully. The Lord has spoken things to her to tell me a couple times…just recently I took a note out that she gave me back in October. In Oct. when I read it I thought, yeah seriously, thank you, Jesus! But when I read it again recently I immediately started crying b/c I was so overwhelmed and exhausted and feeling so unworthy…but Blair had written this: “Reasa, I really do sense from the Lord His pleasure over your life!” It hit me like a ton of bricks…God is STILL pleased, overjoyed, & excited about ME despite all the things I am not doing well (or doing at all!!)!! And He sent Blair to get the point across!! Wow, I feel like the most loved girl around. The best Christmas gift for me this year by far is Treasure Chest Friends. How hard it is to have to physically say goodbye to friends like this! So bitter but oh so sweet! I would MUCH rather have to say goodbye than to not have known or loved such friends!! Jesus, please send Blair the right Treasure Chest friends at the right time as you take her on this next adventure. And thank you for my Treasure Chest! Amen.

For real, when you get a chance, find this song, "Shut Out the World" and really shut out the world :) I haven't blogged for SO LONG...Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

my experiment

2008-11-13T15:26:00.001+01:00

let's see if this works!

Make a Smilebox postcard

I just want to get groceries...

2008-11-03T14:00:00.004+01:00

Gabby's new favorite thing to do...stand on this stool and cook with me.

Our friend Bryce made the kids' newspaper hats...the things we do for fun around here!

The stud after he finished his first half marathon...yep right here in Africa. Don't let him be shy...he got 35th out of 300...

Gabby's new do...bangs :) Cut by her "language tutor". Kolby doesn't care for the camera much these days so it's hard to get a good pic of him!

Now the real reason for my post...

I gotta learn to check my calendar more often! This morning I got the kids out of the house early for a 30 minute walk, Gabby had room time while Kolby & I did a little preschool, I threw on some nicer looking clothes and brushed my hair, grabbed our stuff and jumped in the truck. I was trying to get to the grocery store and home before lunch. What was I thinking? The whole time I am driving there are red and white flags and pics of the Pres. all over the place. That should have been my first clue...actually my second. My first clue should have been the backed up traffic that I saw this morning while we were walking! Anyways, we arrived at the store I normally shop at to find NO PARKING (which actually isn't surprising since there really isn't much parking, but usually I can find somewhere to park)! I even drove around a couple times but it was too stressful with all the traffic and people and cars...that is when I remembered...uh, today is a holiday (don't ask me what holiday b/c I have no clue, all I know is it is nuts here during holidays and nearly IMPOSSIBLE to do anything fast or normal). Long story short, I tried another store (which is further away) and thought I could grab lunch in their "food court" and maybe the park would be open so the kids could play. Well, that didn't happen either b/c the traffic was at a stand still. Now, normally this would really send me over the edge...but today I felt this strong urge to just turn around and go home. The kids were doing so good just riding in the car (now for an hour) and listening to their music. When I pulled up outside our house my friend was coming around the corner. Today she didn't have any of her daughters with her so it made it easier to get my 2 kids in the house while chatting with her. I made us some coffee and we sat and talked for about 30 minutes. Another miracle, K & G just played and were having a good ol time (despite the fact that it was lunch time...this is a hard cultural hurdle to overcome! My friend and I's schedules with our children are SO DIFFERENT! It makes it really hard to get together). It gave us time to connect and catch up the best we can in our limited languages (well, she is way better in English than I am in Arabic). She told me that for some reason if she doesn't see me once a week she just has to come over and say hello b/c she "can't stand not seeing" me. When she left she practically skipped down the steps to the gate. It was so cute...how happy she gets when she gets out of her house with no kids and sits down to chat for such a short time! All this to say that after living here for almost a year (weird! it will be a year Dec. 27!) I am:
1) learning to hear the soft voice of the Lord again in the midst of what feels like maddness sometimes (I really felt like He told me to give up my own schedule today and turn around at that moment and go home),
2) becoming more and more at peace with not getting my own agenda done everyday, and
3) praying that the Lord would use me to bring joy to others...and that my friend would be drawn to me b/c of Him IN me.

Just now I've been interrupted by Kolby running into the room yelling, "Mommy, there is a bug in my room!"

This morning Kolby and I were reading, "What Do People Do All Day?" At the beginning of the book it asks, "What does your Daddy do?" Kolby's response: "Go to work." "What does your Mommy do?" Kolby's response: "Fix my toys."

During lunch today Gabby decided to build a tower made of cheese on the top of her sippy cup and then ever so gracefully shove it all in her mouth WHILE she attempted to take a drink.

Well, that's the Grogg update for today. :) By the way, I just learned that this week is a holiday celebrating the day the President was elected...yep, I said WEEK...they get a whole week off for this!

Where do they come up with this stuff?

2008-10-28T13:53:00.003+01:00

I am sure everyone has some great conversations and stories that could be shared about what your kids have said...for real, I just can't believe how creative their little minds can be! Here is a conversation that has been going on in the Grogg house these days. There are many more but for some reason I can't find the time or energy to be a good blogger these days!

Jon: Who am I?
Kolby: The king.
Jon: Who is Mommy?
Kolby: The queen.
Jon: Who are you?
Kolby: The prince.
Jon: Who is Gabby?
Kolby: The farmer.

His true colors about his sister I guess! :)

Priceless Presents

2008-10-04T14:30:00.006+02:00

Top 10 Priceless Presents given to me in the last several weeks:

1. Seeing your children run to their grandparents in the airport.
2. A mug signed by my priceless friends.
3. Two weeks of having family around.
4. Having the internet/phone at my fingertips again (uh, pure TORTURE when it's gone...hence why many of you haven't heard from me in 2 weeks).
5. The sea.
6. Sounds a little shallow but sorry, it's true...new things from America (from clothes to stuff for the kids to detoxes :) ).
7. RESTURANTS being opened after a LONG month of Ramadan.
8. Knowing we are loved and cared for by so many people.
9. Actually being able to rest when I am sick (thanks to Bruce, Lorie, and Jon).
10. Having a group of women here to do a bible study with.

For your entertainment...

2008-09-14T12:53:00.005+02:00

Sunday morning, we went to the store to get some stuff b/c Bruce & Lorie (Jon's parents) arrive in about 4 hours! After walking around a pretty normal store for an hour (it's french and feels like super walmart minus some stuff) we pulled our truck up to our gated house to the sheep walking past our door. A nice little reminder that we get to experience some fun worlds.

I didn't want you to miss out on seeing our nice amazing truck again :) or Jon's true self...thanks to ALL of you who make it possible for us to have nice things here. Not a day goes by that we don't thank Jesus for you and acknowledge we are not alone in this adventure. We are keeping taps on Hurricane Ike from here also (via internet). Bruce and Lorie had to change their flight b/c the Houston airport was shut down. Weird to not be in America when stuff like hurricanes, etc. happen. I am sure if we were there we would constantly hear about it. Here we have to set aside time to hear about it. Thankfully like the song goes, "He's got the whole world in His hands." :) (currently a fav song of Kolby & Gabby).

Green means "Go"....

2008-09-11T11:54:00.004+02:00

When we first arrived here our friends told us they taught their little boy to say, "Green means 'Go', red means 'stop', and yellow means 'HONK'!" Yesterday I learned just how tricky this whole yellow light thing can be! The kids and I were driving in our big bad truck and were at a stoplight. Here you pull up PAST the actual stop light (which is located on your left) and you are at the mercy of the cars behind you. They HONK at you when the light turns yellow (it goes from red to yellow to green). There was a taxi beside me so I was feeling all confident about pulling up past the light b/c I knew I could just follow the taxis lead...when he took off, I was taking off. All of a sudden there is lots of honking going on and the taxi takes off. So I take off...oops, they weren't honking at us. I thought for sure a taxi driver would know where the honking was actually coming from (since my children were super loud in the back I couldn't really tell, plus I am half deaf, just ask Jon)! So we both pulled out right in front of the cars turning from the other lane straight at us. Oh boy, I saw some hand signs that I haven't noticed before...well, the important thing is bshweya bshweya (slowly slowly) I am learning to drive right? It's a nice outlet...you have built up frustrations? Just jump in the car and let it ALL out! It's so great!!

Last weekend our friends' little guy turned one. For his party we went to a little amusement park called "Kat Kut". It's CRAZY! It felt like a night out in America or something. We have been there about 4 times now and each time I feel like a new person when I get home. This time was extra special b/c there were 7 little Americans having the time of their lives (okay except for little baby Kate who is only about a month old!). I actually am not sure if the parents enjoyed it more or the kiddos. Kolby and his buds got a chance to drive too. You just never know what to expect here. One day you go to an amusement park, the next day you are excited to actually find Christmas wrapping paper, and yet they are out of ground beef at the store??

I got all I need (in KY accent)

2008-08-30T14:13:00.003+02:00

First some things about our funny groggies...

This morning Jon and Kolby took our friend and their dog to the Vet (b/c we have a car now and dogs aren't allowed in taxis!). Kolby keeps saying, "Thanks Daddy, for taking me to the doggy doctor!" The other night I was helping Kolby get ready for bed and out of the blue he says, "Mommy, you are too big to ride up top (the term he uses for riding on Jon's shoulders). But I am not b/c my Daddy has no hair." Ha! He's been cracking me up lately! Last Saturday he wanted to play pirate. So Jon made him this pirate get-up and a make-believe pirate ship on his bed. He holds his finger up like in the picture and says something like, "First I need a drink of milk!"

Then there is Gabby :) We made coconut macaroons together the other day. I finally caught her priceless "O" face on camera. She was a big helper...spilling stuff all over and putting her fingers in everything! Today we got to have some more mommy/daughter time while the men took the dog to the vet. She helped me clean the dirt off our slab of marble porch. Then we came inside and danced around the house doing some more cleaning and playing at the same time. Gabby loves to dance. Let's hope she has her Daddy's moves and not her Mom's :)

Lately I have been stressing myself out and I couldn't really figure out why. I tried to put it all into words the other night while I was talking to Jon. It really came down to figuring out who I am here in this place. Thankfully, Jesus provided my friend Veronica and I with some time to take a walk with the kids yesterday (in the heat of the day! what were we thinking?!). After chatting awhile we figured out we were both struggling with some of the same emotions. One being guilt. I remembered something I heard from our friend Phil when he and his wife visited this Spring. He said (well, what I heard him saying anyways!) was in order to truly be authentic you have to keep the gap closed between who you know you are and who people think you are. That is why I started this blog back then...in hopes of keeping this gap closed. I don't want my friends and family back in America to think I am something I am not. And when I feel like I haven't clearly communicated who I really am and what I am doing here then I allow myself to feel guilty...like shouldn't I be able to learn a new language, build relationships with nationals, have good relationships with Americans here, keep a clean house, never have dishes in the sink, stay on top of relationships back in America, grow in the Lord, take care of my husband and my 2 children, exercise & eat right, cook healthy meals, read books about parenting, get out of my house, and get 2 loads of laundry done a day (without a dryer)?? I mean, really, what is wrong with me??!! I guess I finally came to the conclusion I can't get all of these things done perfectly :) Are any of you surprised? :) I didn't think so!

Phil shared Hebrews 3:12-14 with us when he was talking about being authentic and also the importance of encouraging one another. Authenticity and encouragement are what help us choose Him over sin. I had never really put that together when reading these verses before. But now it makes perfect sense to me why I need other people and why I need to allow people to see the real me. It produces unity, harmony, and is praise to the Lord (Romans 15:7). And it helps me put aside my own fleshly desires & reactions (like grabbing the chocolate when the ants start coming in through my cabinets).

Jon used this verse to encourage me the other night. Maybe it can also encourage you today...leave the dishes in the sink, forget about the dirty floor and all the demands that come with raising small people...b/c when we know Jesus, we have everything we need already :)

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3

I am so thankful that what I need to be doing most of all is just knowing Jesus.

Kolby & candy video

2008-08-26T20:30:00.002+02:00

The aftermath of the dinosaur pinata fun...our son knows just what to do with his abundance of candy!

The Moment Arrived!!

2008-08-26T19:40:00.004+02:00

He pulled up and I swear I almost cried :) Wow, just think how great Heaven is going to be if I am this excited to have a car after being without for only 8 months! I had the courage to drive it to my friend Veronica's house (who lives about 2 minutes away) and around the block a couple times...I am hoping my need for freedom will overcome my fear of crazy African drivers! Thanks, Jon! Your hard work and commitment to wait for the right car reminds me why I married you. But now I can go get my own groceries! :)

Gabriella's first time in her car seat after 8 months. At first she was really excited about the whole situation, but then she started trying to get out (imagine that!). You can kind of see Kolby's head in the back row. He didn't want to pose for the "first car ride" picture! It is amazing how good it feels to get in a car and actually BUCKLE my children up in their car seats! When we take a taxi, Jon sits up front while the kids and I sit in back...no seat belts. Just Mommy hanging onto her babies and trying to not pay attention to how close we come to hitting other cars or pedestrians!

In the SAME day my multi-talented husband made the cake for our August Birthdays celebration...this is his second cake (the first one was an oreo ice cream cake with oreos that he bought in France!)...he decided to go along with the theme Susie and Veronica happened upon while making a pinata :) It was a dinosaur celebration for sure!

Kolby was able to build a special relationship with the dinosaur before he got smashed to bits. Today he is still telling me, "Mommy, I am sorry I had to hit the dinosaur, but he had candy inside!" Thanks Susie and Veronica for our dinosaur good times!

Kristie, Bryce & I's birthday party (poor Bryce got sick and had to miss his own party!) Jon wrote "Happy Prehistoric Birthday" on the cake with a picture of a dinosaur in case you can't see it!

So...I have really had birthday weekend! Who knew Jon would buy me a car for my 30th birthday :) Kidding. Thanks for all the phone calls, emails, and blog singings :) by the way!

I will let you know how learning to drive here goes!

The Waiting Game

2008-08-25T11:08:00.002+02:00

At this VERY moment my fabulous husband and our language tutor are on their way to sign papers so we can have a CAR! My very American colors shine through whenever the subject of "car" comes up...to me it means independence, freedom, an easier way of doing things with 2 children (versus taking a hot taxi). Poor Jon has worked so hard at trying to get us a car for about 2 months straight. It's not as easy as it sounds. After finally FINDING a car we could actually afford and it be useful for our family, visitors, and friends, Jon went to the bank Friday morning only to hear, "We don't have that much money here." We live in a cash society now...so Jon was trying to take out all the cash we would need for our scary purchase (and thanks to Leanne's hard efforts and huge headaches we actually have the money in a bank account here). This morning he headed to the bank as early as possible. He text me to say they took him in the back with all the money, gave him a bag, and started dumping the bills in it. I wish I would have been there to take a picture! Can you just imagine Jon walking out of the bank, getting into a taxi, etc. all with a big ol' bag of money? The thought of it cracks me up (it will you too if you REALLY know Jon & money's relationship). Who knows if we will actually get the car today...or how long all this "paperwork" will take...but we are used to the waiting game now! Hopefully soon I can post a picture of FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!

Friends at Last..

2008-08-15T21:28:00.003+02:00

Okay, well most days they are friends :) On this particular day Kolby decided it was okay to sit next to Gabby in our new chair from IKEA!! I think heaven is going to be like IKEA maybe :) Well, we are enjoying our new chair to say the least. And everyday we enjoy these 2 little faces. Tuesday we started having my language tutor's sister come be their teacher. So while I have arabic lessons they get a little of their own. Well, Gabby sleeps through most of it (due to her morning nap). Kolby seems to be okay with it so far. But today he said, "Mommy, I can't talk b/c I am sick." I think he was really saying, "What is wrong with me that this girl can't understand me?!!" I know, it's kind of sad...well, I know my Mom is thinking that :) but I think that Kolby will pick it up quick. The other day I asked him, "Are you all done?" He said, "You mean 'akahow', Mom?" (which means all done in Arabic). I didn't even know he knew that word!

Gabby's Going

2008-08-10T16:12:00.002+02:00

This is the first night Gabby really took off walking!! She is such a ham. I happen to be reading to Kolby in the background so you can ignore that part :) I have been trying to get a video of Gabby walking on here for a good 2 weeks! She is much better at it now and is all over the place. Kolby and her still play their favorite little game...Kolby walks behind Gabby and when Gabby falls down, he falls down. Then they lay their and giggle for a couple seconds. They sometimes continue this pattern for a good 30 minutes which is music to my ears! It's hard sometimes to get them to play together. It seems like Kolby enjoys Gabby more now that she is mobile...but he does still close his bedroom door on her quite often :)

Taxis and beaches don't mix.

2008-07-28T20:20:00.010+02:00

So Saturday morning some friends and I snagged a taxi and headed to the beach (30 minutes away, a new place none of us had been before so it was a fun adventure...well, everything is a new adventure around here for me...it was kind of our goodbye party for Jen who is heading back to America). This taxi driver was super nice and since Veronica has been here for 2 1/2 years she could speak to him really good--bonus for us that speak jack squat. He offered to come back and pick us up when we were ready to go home (side note: it is pretty rare from my 7 months of experience with taxi drivers to find one this great!). After tanning my nice bod :) (and we all know I only got a burn but Veronica showed us how to eat fresh oysters so it was worth it!) for 2 hours we were ready to head home. We trudged through the sand watching our taxi driver from a distance. I think the conversation between the four of us went a little like this, "Dude, I think our taxi is stuck in the sand." "Really? What IS he doing?" "Hmmm...yeah maybe he's stuck..." "Oh man, I think we are going to have to push him out!" "Oh yeah, he is so stuck." Okay, so we really TRIED to help the poor guy. He was probably sick of the 4 giggling Americans trying to push the car while he pushed on the gas. It's a lot harder to push a car while you are in the sand we found out. Thankfully some other nice guys with a 4 wheel drive whatever came to help BUT in the midst of it all I DID get to DRIVE the taxi! I mean really, who can say they have actually ever driven a taxi? I CAN! So what if I only drove it for about a foot but hey, I am proud! Poor nice taxi driver is probably still having nightmares.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-07-21T15:13:00.001+02:00

Trying to walk

2008-07-18T09:12:00.003+02:00

She's trying. This little video was taken a couple weeks ago. She gets better everyday. I can't wait for her to walk b/c I am sick of her crawling around outside and getting ants on her! It's dangerous learning to walk around here with all the hard floors. Gabby is pretty tough though, lucky for her!

You'd think I would learn the first time!

2008-07-17T19:22:00.008+02:00

A couple weeks ago my friend Veronica and her little girl Elianna came over for a baby pool party. To make the long story short, we got locked out of my house (Kolby is a quick one). Luckily Jon was close by and could come to our rescue. Since then I have tried to never step out the door without my keys in it. It must be something with me and pool parties...here I am having a great Thursday (I LOVE Thursdays b/c it is my only day with just me & the kids--no language, no house cleaner, no meetings)...thinking I have everything under control and feeling pretty proud of myself for completing 2 loads of laundry, walking to the little store by our house and getting more water, having dinner ready so we could eat right around 5:30 (b/c Jon had language at 6), and doing some fun stuff with the kids...Veronica and Ellie come over...and we went out to have a pool party. I didn't think about putting my keys in the door b/c Jon was inside. Oops. Jon decides to join us...after about 30 minutes Jon says, "You have the keys?" Thankfully, Jon had his cell phone. You might be thinking, "Couldn't you somehow break in?" Ha! Not here! You would not believe the security in this place! Not only are we surrounded by tall cement walls with locked doors, but our front and back doors have these huge super locks on them AND all of the windows have bars on them. We thought about trying to put monkey Kolby through the bars, but then the inside of the windows were also securely locked. We are thankful for friends who live close by and friends with cars at this point! And the nice locksmith that Jon actually talks too quite often to help him with language learning. :) No worries, we now have a hidden key...and my friend Erin just pointed out it's not so hidden when the whole world knows about it. Good point. I forgot to mention the oven was on...it was a crisy dinner tonight. :) (The photo is from this weekend when Jon decided he needed to have a pool party!!)

Just being kids

2008-07-15T12:37:00.000+02:00

One of my favorite parts of the day is coming home to see what my kids are doing. Nothing out of the ordinary, just having fun being kids. Here is Kolby after he poured his own bowl of cheerios. Don't worry we didn't waste any of those bad boys - Cheerios are a hot item as they have to be imported! Gabby is all smiles no matter where she is, even when we stick her in the armoire for a while. Just playin', she wanted in there.

Therapy!!

2008-06-19T00:13:00.000+02:00

Well, here I am doing something I keep telling myself I don't have time for! Which I don't but I decided after talking to some friends that maybe this stuff would be good therapy for me...a way to stay in touch with the people I love who live in America and a way for those people to know more about us (and the weird things that happen when living in another country). I decided I need my friends & fam to know about my life...not b/c they really need to know but I really NEED them to know. Somehow it makes the gap between my new life and my old life not feel so incredibly big. At least it feels big 6 months into living here in Africa...or maybe it's just the trash, cats, and dogs that are blurring my vision...At any rate I am going to give it a try! Here I am with my ball of fun...at Gabriella's first birthday party.