Rats and Reasa don't mix.

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...

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

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

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

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

let's see if this works!

Make a Smilebox postcard

I just want to get groceries...

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!