Out of the Blue

Buried with Him in his Death...

2011-04-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

Heidi and Kay took a big step this past month! They both chose to obey Jesus' command to be baptized. This identification with Jesus' death and resurrection is especially meaningful around this Easter season. By this they indicated publicly that they were followers of Jesus, something very meaningful here in the country we live. For many believers here a step such as this one is a line in the sand. It could mean alienation from family and their support, especially difficult in a communal culture. Baptism also signifies that the girls would like to make a commitment to follow Jesus closely and continue to grow in their relationship with Him. Pray for our girls as they continue to work out what this looks like in their lives. Pray that they would be sensitive to the Spirit and willing to obey. Pray that they would know strength and joy as they continue to grow in their faith. We are proud of them and the young ladies they are becoming!

The baptism was held in someone's swimming pool. All total there were 11 students baptized.

Pastor Dave, the youth pastor at Sahel Academy led the service.

Many from the community came to watch. We are so thankful for the supportive community here that encourages, loves, and is willing to invest in their lives in so many different ways. Kay's teacher, Miss Miller, prayed for Kay after she was baptized.

Ian prayed for Heidi.

Sporatic Photo Journal of Spring Break 2011

2011-04-08T05:15:00.000-07:00

We didn't have a lot of things planned for semester break, but we ended up having a fabulous two weeks doing miscellaneous things... Having children big enough to go with the flow and entertain themselves is a gift I am still marveling over! I had to work in the mornings; the office doesn't have semester breaks! One of more of the kids came with me a few times and entertained themselves drawing, using the computer, sampling the coffee break cake and generally talking the ears off my coworkers!

Right at the beginning of break, the girls' after school club had a Mother- Daughter Tea planned. They did a fabulous job decorating the school patio. They helped with the refreshments and ran the program largely by themselves. We enjoyed delicious finger foods, played a game to see how much Mothers and Daughters knew about one another, and decorated hats! This was our table's creation.
That first weekend, we were also able to celebrate Cousin Brynn's birthday! Then we had a teenage addition to the family for a few days as our neighbors were away when their son returned from his senior trip; Tom was thrilled to have a temporary big brother!

We enjoyed lots of small things such as playing with Ziad, our houseworker's youngest. He loves Tom, but wasn't sure about the camera!
Here, he finally decided the camera was ok! A cutie if there ever was one!
The kids played and played on the rope swing.

There were many visits to the pool, and, as usual, we did a lot of reading, preferably in our pajamas!
Oops! I thought you could rotate pictures after they were on the blog...

In the garden, Ian's tomatoes finally got large enough that we could make green tomato relish (the sole purpose for their existence). The kids always enjoy cooking and baking when they have more time. In addition to cakes, cookies and other treats, they made dinner twice: beef stroganoff, noodles, jello, and veggies the first night and chili and cornbread the next. Tom helped too, I just didn't get a picture. He is our #1 cheese and zucchini grater! They are becoming quite competent in the kitchen!

There was a big sewing day planned among some of the ladies the first week, so in preparation, my Mr. Fix-it took apart and fixed both of my sewing machines!! What a champ!

The sewing day was so much fun, we did it all over again the second week of break! Beka worked on a wall hanging with African fabric scraps. Heidi finally finished the top to her quilt she has been working on since last summer. She sewed all the nine-patches by hand then we used the machine to sew them together. Kay worked on some hot pads. Tom enjoyed playing outside with all the kids that had come with their moms. I'll show further pictures of our efforts on another blog.

We also went on a picnic with our neighbors. Tom had a water rocket he received for his birthday that he wanted to try, so they brought their air rocket and we enjoyed chicken and rockets together on the school field.

We went shopping, danced and drew. We had friends over for play dates and dinner, and practiced the piano. We wrote stories, played computer games, and watched movies (I haven't seen The Shaggy Dog in AGES, very fun!)

The grand finale was on Monday, the last day of break. The youth pastor at school had organized a baptismal service and both Heidi and Kay chose to be baptized, professing their faith in Jesus and their intention to follow Him. It was a very special time. We took video clips and we haven't gotten most of the pictures from our friend who took them yet, but you can see Heidi and Kay on the far left. Not your traditional baptismal pool! :) We'll post more pictures when we have them.Those are just some of our break activities. Now bad for a break where we had nothing planned! Now we have just 8 weeks left of school! That is hard to believe!

Precision car racing

2011-03-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

During the month of February, I think our family has had more illnesses than we have ever had before in that period of time. Nothing was dramatic or terrible, but we have passed around major head colds, high fevers, a flu bug as well as assorted other small things. I thought we were done, but unfortunately Tom came down with a high fever again this week. With medication, he was fine, but he was obviously tired and I didn't want him to pass whatever virus he had to the rest of the first and second grade, so he stayed home. While he used to spend hours at home alone with Mom every day, now he is used to having friends around and school work to do. He wasn't real impressed with the idea of entertaining himself, but after watching a movie and realizing Mom wasn't going to stop everything to entertain, he brought out his matchbox cars. He used to spend hours with his cars and took them everywhere. He still enjoys them, but he hasn't played as much with them lately as he has been absorbed with legos and plastic animals when he isn't playing ball. He used to enjoy racing his cars a lot, but I haven't seen him do it in a while. When I saw what he was up to, I grabbed the camera, as it is a very unique racing game and so very telling of our son's personality! The game always involves ALL the matchbox cars. They are all lined up at one end of the couch (starting line) then over an extended period of time (20 minutes or so) Tom moves them all centimeter by centimeter through the race. Over time, the cars get more and more spread out. He usually asks whoever is around, "Which one do you think will win?" We always guess incorrectly as the leader never wins due to elaborate car crashes, and come from behind moves which are all played out in slow motion as the car pack travels up one arm and across the back of each adjoining chair to go down the next arm (note the cars still below on the arm). I have seen the race continue over the entire set of living room furniture and across the floor to end at the piano, this day, the race ended at the second chair. It is amazing to me how much time and attention he can spend moving each car forward just minimal amounts over and over again. If he doesn't grow up to do a precision filled job I will eat his orange racing car!

Turning 9 is a special time!

2011-03-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

Kay and Tom were born on the same day, so we were away during the weekend of Kay's birthday for a softball tournament as well. Though it was a fun weekend, poor Kay was sick through the majority of it. Here is Ian taking his turn at bat. His team came in second!We enjoyed cake and ice cream with friends on their actual birthday, but it wasn't until the next weekend that Kay had her party.
She choose a Hawaiian theme. The girls had lots of fun making leis (flower cutouts and straw pieces) and grass skirts (with colored crepe paper) when they first arrived. They looked very fun and festive! (this picture is when they were waiting for Kay to open her presents, as you can tell, the skirts had already been mostly shed...)Next we played some Hawaiian themed party games (I am hoping this is the last party game birthday I have to do, they are not my favorite!) including musical beach towel hula, pass the pineapple, and a beach relay race. We also had hula hoop and limbo competitions. Given my spontaneous and frenzied state during the party games, we didn't take pictures of these! Unfortuately, party games do not go well with grass skirts which shredded all over the yard. At the end of the morning, we had a very colorful and festive looking yard, but not so many grass skirts left! Kay choose a lemon cake with marshmallow flowers on it. The girls had fun with the little drink umbrellas as well. The thing that impressed me most about this party, however, was the girls themselves. Most of these girls have gone through 1st through 3rd grades together. They all are great girls from lovely families, but all of us mothers realized that they all have STRONG personalities and very active tongues. This has been a huge issue of prayer since even before their very first day of school. I remember first grade in particular there were lots of sparks and daily drama on the playground. It was really neat to see how they have each matured in caring for one another and learning how to interact with one another in away that respects their differences. It was a great birthday gift for this Mom to see the way our prayers continue to impact our daughters' lives!

7 is for Baseball

2011-03-13T11:23:00.001-07:00

Tom's party was next in line this year. We were going to be away for a softball tournament over the weekend he turned 7, so we had the party Thursday afternoon before we left Friday morning. Appropriately enough, he wanted a baseball party, so we arranged to use the baseball field at the American Rec Center in town. (An added bonus was that I wasn't setting up or cleaning up from a party as I was packing to leave the next day!) We played tball with the kids on one team and Ian and I on the other. Because we had a wide variety of sports skill as well as a range in ages from kindergarten to second grade, the Tball worked really well. It gave all of them (and me!!) a chance to be big hitters! The kids even liked fielding the ball when it meant they could tag Mr. and Mrs. Rideout out! In between innings, we played various relay races with balls, bats, and water to cool us off! We had ordered pizza and koolaid for all the kids, and we also enjoyed Tom's base ball cake and cupcakes- chocolate of course-
and opened presents!Ian was a trooper doing more than his fair share of keeping them running while I set up food and cleaned up wrapping paper. The kids had lots of fun, I didn't have to cook dinner that night, and the kids slept well after running around and around and around the bases so they were well rested for our long trip the next day! We all won on this party!!

11 and Counting!!!!!

2011-03-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

I am a bit behind the times with this post, but better late than never! The last few months are always busy ones for us, largely because it is birthday season at the Rideout house! Heidi comes first midway through January. This year she turned 11! She is becoming quite a young lady and maturing and growing in every way. She is a joy to have in our family. We are very proud of her!

We usually get together with cousins to celebrate on the day. This year Heidi requested a birthday breakfast, but scheduling required that it be an evening breakfast, but we enjoyed Breakfast casserole and cinnamon rolls anyway. For the first time the kids took over the "big" table and the adults got their own table off to the side... nothing like being outnumbered! The kids were thrilled :)

Heidi's birthday party followed close behind. She had a clue party this year. Each guest was asked to come dressed as one of the characters from the game "Clue." From left to right they are: Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, Col. Mustard, Miss Scarlett, Prof. Plum, Mrs. White, Mlle Brune (we added her to have enough characters). The butler is on the right and Ms. Body is lying across the girls' laps. Here is a close up of Ms. Body, the victim and former owner of Mystery Mansion. The rooms in our house were transformed into the various rooms in Mystery Mansion and several clue playing cards were hidden in each room. Here is the butler who greeted each guest at the door. He is standing in the Dining Room. Each member received a notebook with a clue chart inside to mark off their clues. They went from room to room looking for the hidden cards, marking off the appropriate boxes and rehiding the cards for those coming behind them. When someone solved the mystery, they ran to headquarters and rang a bell. We then opened the envelope to see if their accusation was correct and they won, or if they were mistaken and out of the game. We put snacks in each of the rooms, so the girls could nibble as they went around. It was lots of fun and very easy! We played multiple rounds as each time we just had to reshuffle and rehide the cards. In between rounds we ate cake and opened presents. What a fun group of girls!

The Break the To Do List Shrunk.

2011-01-23T13:38:00.000-08:00

This Christmas break was the most relaxing one I can remember for a long time. We were able to read, sleep late, hang out, and enjoy each other. The kids really enjoyed playing together and we had just enough to do that we didn't have a lot of the squabbles that we sometimes do. The kids and Ian went hiking one day with some friends, and we had a few low key playtimes as well. We did some special baking and worked hard on finishing our Christmas projects before Christmas came around. We also accomplished a lot of things that had been on our to-do list. I was so proud that I remembered to take pictures of them. They weren't big or important items, but it is nice to have them out of the way.

I care for the furniture and household goods that SIM supplies to those coming to serve for less than two years. This spring, I brought a few items home that were fairly sturdy but had seen better days thinking I would refinish them before our vacation this summer. A refinishing job, which I have done before, is all well and good in the US, but here, without Home Depot, I discovered rather quickly that I was at a loss. I needed Ian's tools, which are never located in our garage, and inside purchasing knowledge that I didn't have. I knew he was too busy to work on my very un-urgent project, so the dresser and side tables have sat in our laundry room, in our hall, and on our back porch for the last six months. Over break, Ian finally got tired of having old furniture around and took it upon himself to sand and paint the dresser I had started in May. It looked great! I was so thankful for his expertise! And we were both glad to get the dresser off the porch.

Another project Ian worked on this break was putting up a rope swing for the kids in the front yard. They have had hours of fun on it already! It was a great idea!
We also bought a second hand desk for the girls' room. Previously, they only had a table to work on. Without the storage space of a desk, their table and surrounding floor were a a constant disaster area. Now they have a place for everything and two months later, the room is still clean! YAHOO!!! As an added bonus, the table was returned to its original purpose holding laundry. No more folding clothes on top of the freezer for me!
In further efforts to organize "the messy girls' room" as Tom calls it, we moved a set of plastic drawers into their bathroom. Again, this has made a HUGE difference in their ability to keep things neat. Formerly these drawers were in their closet holding doll clothes, but the doll clothes have found another home and Kay's dresses were starting to get too long to keep it underneath much longer anyway. Now we don't have daily piles of hair ribbons, elastics and barrettes on the floor!

Last year we had a gardener that was very enthusiastic about lettuce. While the four beds seemed a bit TOO enthusiastic to us, we did enjoy the fresh lettuce. Unfortunately, due to scheduling difficulties, we no longer have a gardener, so this year we were on our own. Ian built a garden in our front yard and we planted tomatoes and lettuce, and even some red peppers in a pot. To keep the lizards and birds from eating the seeds and tiny seedlings, we covered the bed with screen until the seedlings were big enough to survive on their own. Here is a view soon after we planted. Now Ian has thinned the rows and transplanted some of the crowded babies to other areas. The plants look great! Hopefully it won't get too hot for them before they are able to produce. We did start late... but even if the heat rises, we have a plan...

AHHHHH. Nothing like checking off some items from the to-do list!

Celebrating in Several Languages

2011-01-23T13:09:00.001-08:00

As with many churches around the world, our church reserves one of the Sundays before Christmas for the children's Christmas program. Each age group spends weeks preparing a special presentation which ranges from a simple song for the younger crowd to self written skits or elaborately choreographed dances for the older ones. The day of the program all the children were given festive hats to wear. Here is one of my friend's beautiful little girls in the grand entrance parade down the aisle.Our church has a wide mix of people in it from countries all around West Africa to Europe, the Americas and Asia.
Kay is one of several English speakers that go to Sunday school each week. In fact, the 6 English speakers that attend Sunday school are all in her class! For this reason, for the last few years her class has decided to sing a song in English. I try to find one with simple, repetitive words that all of the class can learn quickly. (Did you ever notice how many Christmas songs have complicated vocabulary and how few use repetitive words!?) Because so much of the education system here is orally based, the children have amazing memories and their ability to pick up other languages daily puts me to shame! The day of the program, the children were all given festive hats to wear. Here are Kay and her classmate, Bright, leading the singing of the English song. In addition to the song they learned this year, they sang last year's "Go Tell It on the Mountain." Each student also memorized one verse in the Christmas story. So together they were able to recount the scripture retelling of Jesus' birth. Kay was happy that by accident, she was given the same verse she memorized last year. When you are memorizing in a second language, you need all the help you can get! She did a great job! We were proud of her!
Here are two more of Kay's classmates and our near neighbors. They are Swiss and speak French at home, but are also fluent in English.
After the program's successful completion, the kids run outside to celebrate with snacks, juice and little gifts.

The Best Christmas Gift of all...

2011-01-23T12:51:00.000-08:00

Our family was blessed with an abundance of good things this Christmas. We had fun playing croquet together after my parents sent us a new set. We spent vacation watching lots of fun family movies that various members received. Tom produced beautiful magnets for his sisters. Of course, chocolate of various shapes and sizes was found in stockings and wrapping paper.
Kay was really excited about the sewing boxes that she and Heidi received this year. They had fun putting all the sewing notions into the different little compartments.

All the kids loved the sleeping bags they got from Grammy and Papa... so warm and fuzzy!

The new keyboard was also a big hit. Heidi practices diligently and is getting really quite good. Kay loves to find the songs already programed into the keyboard and dance to them.

But the favored present of all came from Auntie Beth... No camera can capture her rapture at getting...

RANCH DRESSING!

Stocking shots

2011-01-23T12:26:00.000-08:00

Here are the traditional Christmas morning in pjs with stocking shots... usually I escape, but I was some how caught and Beth escaped this year. Curses, foiled again...

The better to see with my dear...

2011-01-23T12:12:00.000-08:00

Kay's teacher approached us about the middle of last semester to let us know that she and various others had given her class basic eye exams with the traditional eye chart. Four exams in a row with various people had resulted in the conclusion that Kay could only see to the second line with one of her eyes! This came as a big surprise to us; we had just had her at the doctor this summer for a check up- complete with eye exam. We are thankful for the number of services that are now available in Niger; and that an optometrist is among them! Ian took her to the eye doctor, and though the process wasn't quite the same as in the US ( it was a bit slower due to a month long vacation between the two eye appointments), Kay is now a proud member of the family four eyes club. I love this picture of my precious Kaylo. She has such a tender heart and loves to encourage others. She is also the one that keeps me on my knees as I watch her struggle being the middle child with strong emotions.

Christmas Spirit Day

2010-12-26T14:13:00.000-08:00

Other children content themselves with dressing in a green shirt for Christmas Spirit day, but not mine... never can you call them underachievers in the costume department. A snowflake, an elf, and a Sahelian Santa left the house last Friday for their last day of school before break! For more not to be missed footage of the Sahelian Santa, visit Tom's teacher's blog at

Christmas Eve Theatricals

2010-12-26T13:35:00.000-08:00

I did not live close to my extended family while I was growing up. (At holiday time, I often reflect how celebrating with our just our own nuclear family and a few close friends prepared me for celebrating holidays without huge family gatherings here in Niger. It seems normal to me!) We had a lot of traditions: like listening to Handel's Messiah while we decorated the tree, finding oranges and apples in our stocking toes and heels, and Sara Lee coffee cake for Christmas breakfast. Some of my favorite Christmas memories, however, involved our annual Nativity play. Because we lived far from extended family, we always spent Christmas with dear friends who were in the same boat. Their two boys joined my sister and I in writing and performing theatrical masterpieces... or at least variations on the Nativity story. I remember Jason knocking on the closet door one year only to have the "innkeeper" tell him there was no room in the inn, I remember being an angel in my white bathrobe, I remember Jonathan refusing to stay laying down in the manger when everyone knows baby Jesus couldn't sit up at birth! There was the year a modern Jesus was born in the garage and laid in a tire, and several different people as donkeys who my sister, Amy, usually got to ride as Mary. My favorite memory remains the fabulous rap we wrote one year, a concise and spit filled version of Luke 2... but I digress...

This year we had the second annual Christmas play performed by the seven Niger Rideout cousins. They have a lot larger cast then we did growing up, but can't say that they have any less fun! This year's masterpiece was entitled "Jesus, the Lone Star." You might be able to guess from the title that it was a cowboy themed nativity play complete with stick horses. Kay, in her stunning turquoise shirt and matching sparkly cowgirl hat was the narrator. Mary (Brynn) and Joe (Tom) are told by the barkeep (Elayna) there is no room in the bar, so they are offered a stable in which to sleep. An angel (Elayna), a vision of veiled splendor, visits cowboys (Kira) in nearby pastures watching their doggies (literally the dog next door) by night to tell of Jesus' birth. Visiting mayors (Heidi and Silas-in pink cowboy boots) from far eastern towns came bearing gifts of money and perfume. The stellar performance concluded for the second year in a row with a rousing rendition of "We wish you a Merry Christmas." So great was the clamor of the audience, that a repeat performance of the entire play was given (though without the cow, who was hiding under the couch). It was definitely a Christmas to remember. I wonder what they will dream up next year... I already offered to teach them my rap...

The last first tooth...

2010-12-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

I celebrated the last baby spit up, the last night feeding, and the last diaper. I gleefully got rid of the last baby bath, the last stroller, the last portacrib, and the last highchair (how is it that little people have so MUCH equipment?). This week, another last came upon us... the last first tooth.
For years, Tom, wanting to be like his big sisters, has imagined he has loose teeth, so it was with surprise that a few weeks earlier when he told me his tooth was loose, I found it actually wiggled! He has been delighted to wiggle it and Tom-like, very resistant to any unknown, sudden, might cause discomfort schemes the girls had to help it come out sooner. Ian had just tucked him into bed when we heard a holler come from his room. His tooth had come out! Of course we had to take a picture for Grandma...
The fun part was, the next day, the tooth right next to it came out too! Tom was feeling very rich this week! Heidi also lost one of her molars that day! The tooth fairy has very busy around our house! Here is the two space view...
You would think that after two kids, I would be used to the toothless look, but it still makes me smile. While this last is a bit more bitter sweet, I'm not too sad. Lasts always mean new firsts are around the corner: next we get to see new teeth growing in looking enormous in his still small mouth! It is so fun seeing them grow!

The Day the Golden Eagles Ate Ketchup

2010-11-21T12:17:00.000-08:00

Every year our family looks forward to the annual whole school Track and Field Day at Sahel. I am usually somewhat involved in planning or coaching before hand. For several years, Ian has been the starter through out the day. The kids run and jump and throw, and generally have a fabulous time cheering for their team mates and classmates. This year was no different; Mom presided at high jump, Dad made the rounds of the starting lines with his whistle, and Heidi, Kay, and Tom jumped, ran, and threw with enthusiasm. At the end of the day we were sweaty, sunburned, muscle sore and full of fun memories!

Each year the entire school is broken up into four teams. Each team then chooses a color and a name. They create a banner and a team cheer which is performed at the opening "ceremonies" of our Field day. Points are given for team banners, cheers, participation, and placing in the various events. This year Kay and Tom were both on the Ketchup (red) Team, Heidi was a Golden Eagle (brown and gold). Also competing were the Green Greek Fire and the Blue Angels. The morning is spent at the national stadium where we are able to use their track and field facilities. This year morning events included the hula hoop roll (K-2), softball throw (K-6), frisbee throw (K-6), shot put (7-12), discus (7-12), broad jump (K-4), long jump (3-12), high jump (5-12), 50m (K-4), 100m (3-12), 200m (K-12), 400m (5-12), 800m (5-12), 1500m (5-12), 4x100m relay (7-12), and 4x400m relay (7-12). We return to school for lunch, and after lunch have lots of fun team games which ranged this year from water relays to tug of war.
Silliness is never an event, but with such a great expanse of grass and a flexible schedule, you can always find a dog pile or two,
lines of cheering fans slurping slushies, or just friends quietly pestering one another.
This year was the first year we have had the privilege of an official PE teacher to help in the planning and organizing. Of course there is a PE teacher every year, but Coach Winsor is trained as a PE teacher and coach. Experienced or not, a traditional activity of this magnitude is a huge task for a new arrival to take on. We were thankful for his enthusiasm and expertise! He did a great job!

This is the house that Kay built...

2010-11-21T11:45:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I will take you on a tour of a welcoming little town that gives a new meaning to recycling. Located on the edge of the shady Sahel playground, this town sprang up almost overnight. Though relatively new, it has a working bank, several stores, multiple residences(This is Kay's house. Note the generator to the far left as well as the tv antenna on the roof. She has several room mates!), an army base, and a highly organized infrastructure which includes a its own monetary system, an elected mayor, rigid driving laws, a police force, and town trash collection. Its residents are largely law abiding citizens whose goals include improving their property and working together to contribute to the ever widening community in which they live. Come for a visit! You just might move in...

For the last month or so the elementary students, and even a few middle schoolers from time to time, have used all available recess and after school play time creating and cleaning, collecting valuable junk to create "Town." In the last week, I have noticed a decrease in residents. Just as it sprang up overnight, just as suddenly it seems the children have moved on to something else, but I thought I should take the time to document the town of 2010.Two years ago there was a similar creation, both times it has spontaneously grown out of bark and broken tile, old bricks and dried leaves, and a significant number of bottle caps (the town's currency). It is funny to note that as a result of the frequent power cuts we lived through a month ago, most of the houses have "generators" on their property! Wishful building, I suppose?! The kindergarten's set of dump trucks were also strong participants in this year's town patrolling for trash and requiring a town driver's license program complete with speeding fines. I love to see our kids creating and playing in different ways! Move over Toys R Us, we have imagination! It seems the newest craze involves chairs on the lawn... we shall see!

Somewhere in outerspace....

2010-11-21T11:07:00.000-08:00

Greetings Earthlings!

Last weekend the student council put on a community space fair. It was lots of fun with a space themed meal (alien rice and beans or moon cake anyone?), a space vehicle competition, booths of carnival games, and lots of space creatures trying to earn their astronaut status. One of the biggest hits was this space simulator. The SIMAIR guys were asked for lots of old dials and gadgets which used to transform this box into a fun ride. The astronaut could wear the headset, watch the multiple dials, and "steer" the control the yoke all the while hearing real take off sounds and feeling the vibrations as they were shaken through the outer reaches of the atmosphere. (The box was on a cart that was tipped back and shaken around on stacked tires.) The really fun part, though, was the video system set up to let the outside observers see the crew inside! Tom spent his entire ride making face at the camera... reminicent of his usual skype calls!
Tom and Heidi enthusiastically dressed up for the event. Tom, remembering his recent success as the pea during Spirit Week went as "a big, fat, green alien," his favorite part is stuffing pillows in his green shirt. Heidi decided on being a black hole. Kay decided she didn't want to dress up, but spent time masquerading as an alien at the sponge throw where she was an enthusiastic target.
With aliens there of all shapes and sizes, Tom was happy to find someone from his "home planet." Funny how she looked an awful lot like his teacher, Miss Botheras... Their class must be out of this world! :)

Book Reviews

2010-10-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know me even slightly, you probably know I am an avid reader. Actually, my husband claims it is more than that, he says I should join Books Anonymous! "Hello, my name is Beka, and I have a problem..." Usually my books of choice are fiction, especially when I had small children and reading was one of my only escapes. Perhaps it is because the kids are growing older and my brain feels slightly less fatigued and more able to cope with deeper thinking, but recently I have been attracted to several non fiction books; three in a row, in fact! I really enjoyed all of them. They were well written and thought provoking. To mark this momentous occasion, I thought I would share them with you...

The first book I read is a slim volume entitled Prayer Saturated Kids by Cheryl Sacks and Arlyn Lawrence. This book was an easy read and very practical. It had some great creative ideas for encouraging kids to pray as well as exposing them to different kinds of prayer. I was convicted that I often dismiss kids' prayers as trivial, but this book reminded me that God loves and wants to encourage their great faith! We should as well!
Parts of this book made me feel uncomfortable, but it wasn't because I strongly disagreed with the content as much as some of the authors' ideas were outside of my comfort zone, not necessarily a bad thing. While I was interested in trying some of their suggestions, there are other things that I just can't picture myself doing. I do wish they had spent more than two paragraphs in dealing with disappointment in prayer. The little that is said is sound, but the issue could have used further discussion. Throughout the entire book, the reader is encouraged to help kids grow in their life of faith through prayer, a good thing. But we know that sometimes God chooses not to answer a prayer how or when we would like. This can be a difficult thing for anyone, adult or child, to deal with and the topic deserved a more thorough response from the authors. I don't believe they offered a definition of faith either, which I think is crucial for a biblical understanding of prayer. Over all, I would recommend this book. It reminded me of my responsibility of teaching and modeling prayer for my children.

The second book loan I had was one entitled Sacred Marriage. The subtitle hooked me right away, "What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?" Again, this was an easy book to read and digest, but very thought provoking. It was very practical too. I really enjoyed the way Gary Thomas intermingled centuries of Christian thought and a thorough knowledge of Scripture as the basis for his points. Thomas delves into the nitty gritty of relationships with very clear examples. While I wouldn't have said my goal in life was happiness, when presented with a picture of what it might look like to pursue holiness in relationships and the logical actions that would follow that decision, I realized I was more focused on my personal happiness than I had imagined. Pursuing holiness may also make me happy, but not necessarily, and that is ok. This book definitely changed the way I look at my relationship with Ian and started me thinking in a similar vein about other relationships... how does parenting, working inside and outside my home, being a neighbor, interacting with people from other cultures etc... make me more holy? Or am I settling for happy? If you are married at any stage, I would HIGHLY recommend this book!!

Foreign to Familiar is the third book I just finished reading. This book by Sarah Lanier is not very long, it could easily be read in one or two sittings, but it is very clear and presents ideas in ways that are easy to grasp. Lanier uses her background of living and working all around the world to share different ways that cultures relate. She compares and contrasts two different, generalized ways of seeing the world. I appreciated that she didn't say or even imply that one way was better than the other, rather she clearly shows the strengths and weaknesses of both styles of interaction and how the two styles can better understand the other. From her concrete examples, you can tell that she has a lot of experience in interacting with both "hot and cold" cultures (her labels). As I read I saw the multitude of ways I could unintentionally convey the wrong message to someone just by living and communicating as I have always done. This book heightened my awareness of possible misunderstandings people might have in interacting with me. I feel better prepared to look for red flags in my interpersonal communication. Because of the easy transportation available in our world today, almost anyone could benefit from this book whether you have students or neighbors, coworkers or fellow church members who grew up in a culture different from your own. Anyone that travels or interacts cross-culturally should read this book.

Now that I feel like the Reading Rainbow music should be coming on at any moment, I will wrap this up! Normally recommending books like this would be way too much effort, but I really did find all three of these books exceptionally helpful. I would be interested in your opinion if you have read or choose to read any of them. They've given me much food for thought over the past month. Now that my brain has feasted, I will head back to the fiction section... Don't want to over eat! :)

Sahel Spirit Week

2010-10-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

Each year over Columbus Day weekend, the community here in Niger put on a softball tournament. They have both competitive and social teams competing for a trophy in each category. Since softball is a game that allows for both sexes, many ages, and varied ability levels, it is always a fun time for the whole family. This year, the tournament was especially fun as almost every game was a close one and there were several come from behind wins. Ian played, as he does every year. Their team lost by one run in the second overtime inning to the Competitive team from Sahel. It was such a great game, it was difficult to be too disappointed.Sahel Academy, where the kids attend, sponsored a total of 4 teams this year! One competitive and three social teams. As usual, leading up the the weekend and the following week of "fall" break, the school had Spirit week. Each day, the student council picks a new theme. At recess time, there is a costume parade. Finally to top off the week, Friday at the end of school, there is an all school pep rally where the each class presents a cheer, the Sahel teams are loudly cheered for and prayed for, and the costume winners for elementary and secondary are announced for each day. Here is Kay's class with their cheer.This year, the themes of the day included:
Hippie Day:
Tom was especially proud of his mustache, but I think it was the wig that insured him the prize!
Class Choice Day:
Grades 1/2 were cowboys and grades 3/4 were Indigenous Peoples... Not pictured is our 50's girl, Heidi Sports/Team Jersey Day:
Heidi and Kay proudly supported the Red Sox, and Tom wore his Romanian soccer jersey. Kay's sign reads, " I cheer for 2 teams, the Red Sox and whoever beats the Yankees!"Fairy Tale/Fantasy Day:
Tom's ultimate goal for this day was to wear a costume for which he could stuff a pillow up his shirt! As a result, he was the Princess and the Pea...Here is a second picture of the Pea with his sister the Gingerbread Man...And last, but not least, Puss in Boots! (This was rehearsal without the nose and whiskers.)and, as always, Friday was Sahel Suns Spirit Day, our colors are Yellow and Black!

As always, the kids were very creative and had lots of fun. Tom even came home with a free soda coupon for winning first prize for elementary Hippie Day! It was so fun seeing their excitement and imagination! Hope you enjoy the pictures! Unfortunately, some days Heidi had to go to school dressed for PE and change into her costume after-wards. To see the pictures of her on those days, and more of the kids, check out my face book account and see photos that other people took during the costume parades.

Kay's Teacher: Our Answer to Prayer

2010-10-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

Over many months we have been praying for the special someone that would teach Kay's third and fourth grade class! Here she is!
When I think of Miss M, I think of 1 Corinthians 13 because above all, I know she loves the kids she teaches! We are praying for strength and creativity for her. For good communication with each child and family, and understanding of each child's needs and strengths. Without love, however, all the math and grammar she could teach would be empty and meaningless, so we are thankful for her good humor, her servant's heart, her dog, Lieta, and especially, her love for kids!

Vacation Highlights Part 2

2010-08-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

The biggest highlight during our time at home was seeing our family!

My Mom and Dad were in town for the first two weeks of our time home. It was very special to be able to catch up with them face to face! The kids went on MacDonald's dates with Papa and were tutored in the art of wiffle ball. Grammy did some serious sewing to meet the demands of all the doll outfits required. They joined us for ball games and time in New Hampshire. Our kids love to spend time with Grammy and Papa, and being with your Mommy and Daddy never gets old no matter how old you are! I am so thankful for parents that aren't perfect and are willing to let me see the growth, changes, and challenges in their lives. You spur me on to the same in my own life by being real. We love you Mom and Dad! (And may I add... I am so thankful for parents that like to laugh!)Our one disappointment this summer was being unable to connect with my sister and her family. So close and yet, so far. :( Next time we will save our pennies for plane tickets.

All the Stateside Rideouts were able to gather in New Hampshire for a week. Can you say COUSINS??? (Keep in mind that the four cousins we left in West Africa were missing from this picture!) The houses were full of them! We had a week full of fun together with bike rides, hikes, swimming, games, soccer, bad-mitten, hours of outdoor play, much World Cup action, lots of laughing, and our traditional Mt Washington and Clarks' Trading Post visits. Just take a look at these big grins! :) Again, there is nothing like catching up face to face! We left New Hampshire feeling like we had heard the news and made some special memories (not to mention taken pictures!).

Ian's Aunt Wendy also made the long trip to come to visit us while we were back. We were so glad she was able to join us for our trip to the aquarium. The kids loved having such undivided attention and hearing lots of stories about their Grandma Rideout when she was a little girl! Very special.We were also able to have a lunch visit with my Grandpa and my Aunt Barb. Again, special times with special people. The kids left determined to try out Great Grandpa's artistic advice.
Not long before we left, we joined Dad and Grandma Rideout in making the trip down to Maryland where Ian's sister and her family live. Our kids were overjoyed to have some more time with their cousins. There is never enough of that! We are so thankful for the special friendships our kids have with their cousins. We know it takes effort on our family's side, and we are so thankful! While we were in the more southerly realms, we were also able to take in a family wedding in Virginia. There we saw several of Ian's cousins, aunts, and uncles. Being on another continent means we miss a lot of special occasions, so we were glad to be Stateside for this one even though we forgot to bring our camera! Oops.

As usual, throughout our entire visit we were able to spend time Dad and Grandma Rideout. In the many years that we have stayed with Dad and Mom and Grandma, and now Dad and Grandma, I always leave so thankful for family. God knew what he was doing when he put us in families. We are so privileged to have a family that loves God and loves us. To be able to share daily life with those who know us best and love us anyway is a special blessing. It was fun to have one last celebration for Grandma's 90th birthday while we were all together. A special highlight this time was the never-before-seen video footage of Grandma! There were shots from when she was a girl through her children's (Dad) teenage years. The kids thought it was lots of fun to see Great grandma with her doll and Grandpa jumping around like a jumping bean. Thank you, Dad & Grandma, for always welcoming us with open arms despite the noise and mess we bring! Thanks, Dad, for putting kids to bed and buying groceries and making trips to the dump. Your example of servant hood to us is a powerful one. We love you!
No pictures could ever contain how much we love each one of our family. We are so thankful for the special times we had together this summer. We miss you more than we can say. The last few times we have come home to Africa, Kay has unexpectedly summed up all our feelings at being apart. She will be talking excitedly until the automatic door closes at the airport, whereupon she abruptly breaks into sobs. Though we love coming "home" to Africa, we hate having to be so far away. We love you even though we are apart and far away. Thank you for letting us go.

Vacation Highlights Part 1

2010-08-13T14:03:00.000-07:00

Many people have asked about our vacation. We had a fabulous time and came back rested, refreshed, and ready to invest in relationships and to tackle the projects on our plates during the next two years. Here are some highlights in no particular order:

...celebrating the Fourth of July in the US with a hometown parade, glowsticks, fireworks, and lots of friends!
...the kids first ever baseball game at Fenway Park... and their indoctrination into THE NATION (Go Sox! The Nation is everywhere... even West Africa!)... a visit to the Boston Aquarium complete with the train ride to and from the city.
... exploring Old Sturbridge Village and pretending to be a part of the 1800s
... delicious dinning at the Wayside Inn (a family favorite) among other restaurants ranging from McDonalds to the Cheesecake Factory. Nobody protested walks to the ice cream shop either!
I just wish I could post more pictures in one post, but if I can, I am sadly ignorant how to do that, so, you will just have to imagine trips to multiple parks, playdates with old friends, four bookaholics enjoying the wealth of the town library, shopping, numerous wiffle ball games, sidewalk chalk, learning to ride a two-wheeler (Kay), walks to the train bridge and so much more... but to be honest, as much fun as we had, none of these things were the true highlight. That is in the next post...

Art

2010-08-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

The kids are excited to go back to school next week... back to a known schedule, back to friends both old and new to play with, back to new teachers to meet and learn from. Before the new school year starts though, I wanted to post one last thing from last school year: pictures from the Fine Arts Festival.
God has gifted my kids with a LOVE for creating art!! Since they were small they could each be entertained for hours with paper and crayons. They started out drawing me at the ripe old ages of about 4 or 5. None of their talent, such as it is could be traced back to their mother. Their dad's genes were definitely in on that and perhaps some Forsen genes that skipped a generation! They love to draw, paint, color, create, sew... mostly in an orderly fashion (that is where their mom's genes come into play). We have been SO thankful the past few years to have an art teacher at Sahel Academy that has challenged them to think wild, simple, colorful, detailed, classical, practical, yes, even (gasp!) messy and outside-the-lines thoughts in the art room. With her they used paints and pastels, they copied masterpieces and tried their hand at traditional Asian art. They illustrated books and pretended they were cavemen. She is the one that was the champion for the now annual fine arts festival. Hours upon hours of work are represented in the play performed, the music played, and the art of all types hung and displayed around the library for that special weekend. This year when the kids return, Mrs. P-H won't be there. They (and we!) will deeply miss the input she had into their lives. Though from a family that is stuctured from her they learned to be spontaneous. Though Mom cares more about words and books, from her they were encouraged in color and texture. We know that God will use Mrs. P-H elsewhere to challenge and grow more students. We are so thankful that someone new has come to challenge our elementary artists in different ways. But our thankfulness doesn't mean we won't miss Mrs. P-H and her family! Here are pictures of each of our artists at the fine arts festival this past May: Heidi with her art teacher, Mrs. P-H and her Best in Show for 5/6 line drawing. Kay followed by her colorful painted scarecrow. Tom pointing to his "cave drawing" that won an Honorable mention in the Kindergarten age group.

The "New"and Improved Office

2010-05-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

Months ago, I mentioned that the office where I work was undergoing some much needed renovations. Previously we had quite a lot of peeling paint. Personnel and positions in the office have changed quite a bit in the years we have been here, and some of the offices needed to be shifted around to reflect these changes in job descriptions. Together, we suffered through months of smelly paint, shifting furniture, and the painful business of sorting piles from our desks, but have been amply rewarded by the much improved appearance of the office! Since I had posted some construction pictures, I thought I would include a few pictures of the end results. Amanda who volunteered to take on this enormous task, took some flack at first for her color choices aimed to hide the orange sand that is ever present here, but even initial doubters have admitted the colors have begun to grow on them. Everyone agrees that the office has a brighter and cleaner feel to it.

Here is the reception area. Goodbye, shredded cushions and faded curtains; hello, orange!The kitchen and mail room were moved to a smaller space allowing the large office they were occupying to be used as an office. Amanda's husband, Chad, built the cabinets himself.
This is my new office. I love the green curtains. Though it is not a color I used to be drawn too, since living in the desert, I have grown to love the color green! I used to have a large office way too big for what I needed. With some rearranging of doors, the director now has the bigger space which allows him to have small meetings in his office, something not possible before.
One of my favorite additions is in our treasurer's office. Perhaps this is to prove once and for all that money does NOT grow on trees? The art teacher at the kids' school was kind enough to paint this gorgeous mural for us!This deep blue definitely adds interest to this corner room! With the big windows and two white walls opposite, there is no chance of it seeming dark and dingy. We are all thankful for the many changes that help our working place be one an enjoyable one. We pray that as coworkers, pastors and leaders from around the country visit our headquarters, they would feel welcomed. We want our attitudes and actions to be even more beautiful than our new office!

Kay's Day Out? Up?

2010-05-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

Many days our kids see Dad coming and going in his flight shirt, but their days are busy here, and Ian's flights are usually several hours one way, so there has not been much effort or interest for them to hop aboard with him. This year at our yearly SIM conference, however, Kay really enjoyed playing with a girl about her age who lives in Galmi (1 1/2 hour flight). Both of the girls' teachers encouraged them in the idea of a visit during the school week, so we began looking for a flight to Galmi where there was space for Kay to travel both ways and one where Ian could wait around for several hours to give the girls time to enjoy one another. It took a couple of months to find such an opportunity, but in March, the day finally arrived!
Kay was SO excited to fly with Dad! She liked looking out the window, but she LOVED talking in the headset. She came home giggling, "Daddy says I sound like his propeller; my mouth just keeps going and going... !" Miss Bookworm didn't even crack the book she brought along to pass the time. The flying was fun, but if possible, she was even MORE excited about seeing her friend, S, and going to school with her for the morning. They had a fun morning at school (Thanks to Aunt Cindy who was flexible enough to add another student to her fun activities!) and were able to eat lunch together. What a special day! It was particularly fun for Kay to visit Galmi as that is where she was born. Ever since her visit, she's been asking for a repeat ride. Unfortunately, this next school year her friend will be in the US, so it may be Tom who has the next chance to head to see his friend near Maradi...

Ward-Forsen Genes

2010-02-28T06:19:00.000-08:00

Ever since Tom has been born people have commented how much he looks like his Daddy. He is like his Daddy in a lot of ways: they are both fabulous artists with an eye for details, they both love liver and onions, and they both like to pester people sometimes! The haircut they share, in particular, showcases their similarities. Just a week or so ago, however, I found that though they might be buried deep, Tom does indeed have genes from his Mom's side in him as well... This picture of Tom's matchbox car carrier is all that my family will need to understand and laugh... but for the less initiated, let's just say that my sock drawer had distinct color coordinating tendencies when I was growing up. I would like to clarify that I had NOTHING to do with this arrangement. I only discovered it by accident; while shelving books in the hall, I heard him trying to decide which row the grey car went in. (After pondering, he decided, as I would have, that grey should go in the white row.) Upon questioning, Ian expressed horror at even the IDEA that he would have color coordinated toys when he was growing up, so I know I am fully to blame... or maybe I should blame his Grammy... after all it must be in the genes...

February Banquet

2010-02-28T05:28:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month the Sahel Student Council held a banquet for the entire school community. My girls are always THRILLED when the elementary students are included in the "fancy" banquets! They love dressing up and usually max out my meager jewelry collection and hair styling skills with the grand creations they have envisioned. Tom wasn't quite as excited about the dressing up bit (specifically tucking in his shirt!), but he went anyway because Ian and I were recruited to help. We all had a lot of fun!

This year the theme was Paris (note the Eiffel Tower in the background)...
The outside tables with the small lights twinkling made a very elegant setting. The food and its presentation were, Parisian-like, a big part of the evening. A delicious dinner was prepared with lots of special touches from elaborate vegetable garnishes and savory sauces, to a full boulangerie, and desert plates swirled elegantly with chocolate. Ian presided as one of the "chefs" for the evening, carving meat in the buffet line. During dinner, the student council hosted a talent show showcasing lots of student fun. Here are some of the kindergartners enjoying their evening together. (Tom is in the light blue shirt.)Afterward, the students had the opportunity to learn to waltz or watch a movie. The girls were very enthusiastic about waltzing, though they did confine their partners to the fairer sex. That didn't seem to bother the elementary boys any though, as the majority of them were watching the movie! :)
As always after events such as this, I am thankful for Sahel Academy and the fun things they plan for the students so they can have experiences and learn skills outside of the academic box (like manners and dancing!). I am also very thankful for our community, especially the older students who are so willing to include and tangibly care for the younger ones.

Hard Hat Times

2010-02-02T04:23:00.001-08:00

This past week the SIM office and those who work there started on a new adventure: remodeling! Mostly this remodeling takes the form of a badly needed paint job. Some offices had large patches of peeling paint and the majority of the paint was not washable, so fingerprints and lizard droppings were all too evident. The ceilings are turning from a mocha color to a nice, bright white. The office reception desk is now framed in a dirt-hiding chocolate color while the rest of the hallways and offices are being painted a tanish color, again aimed at reducing visable dirt which is so prevalent here. This morning, we walked in and were very surprised to see lavendar walls!! We joked that we were trying to attract a purple loving colleague of ours to come and work in the office. Thankfully, it was only the first coat, a bit more yellow and we had a more expected khaki/tan color. Here you can see the chocolate and lavender walls. It looks quite nice, but it will look nicer without the lavender. The color itself is not bad, it is just rather surprising in an office setting!
Since furniture was being moved around to paint, the opportunity was taken to shift around a few of the offices to hopefully serve people better. I have a personnel interest in the shifting as I am being shifted! My office is currently very large. The majority of things in it are not mine, nor are they things needed for my job. I am being moved to a much smaller space where i don't have to house extra files and furniture. I am looking forward to having my own bulletin board and a bit more say in what is in my space. In order to make the space shifting fit our jobs, we had to shift around some doors. Here is the doorway to my new office from the hall. We had quite a lot of banging and falling cement pieces while this hole was being made. This picture is looking from my office into the director and deputy director's offices. The door on the left has always been there, the door on the left is another new addition. Another long intended project that is being completed is that of putting windows in all the hall doors in the office. Some places like the treasury need a bit more security, so their doors will have grates covering the windows. As more of the offices are using air conditioning and keeping their hall doors closed, it is nice to be able to see if people are available for talking or are in appointments. Here is our new treasurer... we locked her in so she couldn't leave. We just push food through the grate now and again. :) Just kidding Ruth! I'll keep taking pictures so you get the full effect. At least one more paint color will go up, couch cushions are being recovered, curtains are being washed and some changed out. It is nice to see all the changes and extra nice not to be in charge of making them!

DOUBLE DIGITS!!!

2010-01-25T05:58:00.000-08:00

This past week, Heidi officially entered the double digit world with her 10th birthday! We celebrated earlier this month with her friends at a polka dot party.

We had fun with the circle punch for these decorations!The girls played Twister and other "dot" games, made polka dot bookmarks, and ate birthday cake dotted with Skittles. There is nothing like being crazy with friends!

Traditionally our family has a birthday dinner on each person's actual birthday. Heidi requested a "fancy" dinner to which we invited the cousins (and Uncle Kevin and Aunt Krista too! :)) So on Thursday the tables were set with tablecloths, flowers, and the good dishes, and the Rideout Restaurant opened for business. Here is the "middle table" with Kira, Kay, Brynn & Tom. Notice how sophistocated Kira and Kay are :)!The other table sat the adults, "big" kid, and little kids: Kevin, Krista, Elayna, Silas, Heidi, myself, and Ian.Kay did a fine job as our principle waitress. The evening opened with a salad course, with lettuce fresh from our backyard and homemade rolls. Next came grilled steak, baked potato, and green beans, followed by the finale of chocolate cake with two flavors of ice cream! My detail girl loved the little touches of using the butter knife and salad forks, and having garnishes of orange slices and parsley for the main dish servings and lime slices in the water glasses. Heidi decided it was more "restaurant like" to only blow out one candle on her own serving of cake. We had a fun evening celebrating our TEN year old!! The best part? No one was grouchy the next day because everyone even got to bed on time! It was a school night after all...

the TRAP (AHHHH!)

2010-01-25T05:38:00.000-08:00

Kids go through many different stages of play but the last few months we have a new one at our house I have never seen before! Tom's latest obsession has been setting up "robber traps" across the door to his room. I have NO idea where this idea came from, but for the last month or so, when entering his room we have encountered string of various types propped up with swords, wrapping paper tubes, and chairs; tied around bed posts, door handles and dresser knobs; and ALWAYS with a bell attached (the robber alarm). Usually there are a few stuffed animals and a rubber snake standing guard as well in case the robber gets through the first defense! Here is an example of one of his creations, though not by any means the most elaborate! I have no idea how this came to mind, but he really enjoys spending the hours intricately balancing all the items and he loves it when the bell goes off meaning he "caught" Mom trying to put his clothes away or someone trying to mess with his legos. I've noticed he hasn't been quite as diligent the last few days at setting it and more focused on creating farm and ranch corrals, so perhaps we are moving on to a new phase...

PJs, Stockings, & Underwear

2010-01-17T14:21:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of us in our pjs opening stockings on Christmas morning...

Here are the kids with their stockings. You can't see the sling shots Daddy bought them sticking out the top!

Tom gets a giggle out of the underwear in his stocking. I have discovered that just the word causes gales of laughter in kindergarteners, so I couldn't resist sticking some in his stocking. Sure enough, it was a big hit. hee hee hee...

We love to have Auntie Beth and Auntie Anisa come and spend the night with us so they can be in on the Christmas morning excitement...

This is just to prove that I was actually there... I usually can't produce photographic evidence! I have more photos, but that is all the blog let me post at one time, so others will have to follow in the next edition...

Christmas Eve

2010-01-17T13:57:00.001-08:00

Somehow Christmas Eve snuck by without many photos being taken, but perhaps we can claim that is evidence of a fun evening where we were too busy to remember our cameras?

This is the first Christmas since the arrival of Ian's brother and family that we have all been together in Niger for the holidays. As our "family" here in Niger is so large, we decided to keep Christmas eve as our celebration with just our two households. Both Krista and I like traditions, so as this was the first year we have celebrated in Niger together, we decided to try some on for size.

Our first tradition, which I think might be a keeper, was having fondue for supper! Everyone enjoyed the special treat of two kinds of cheese fondue followed by chocolate fondue for desert! Bread, veggies, pretzals, fruit, cake, marshmellows...YUMMY!!!! Fondue is fun anywhere, but here it is extra special as both cheese and chocolate are quite pricy. Both Krista and I have 2 fondue pots, so even though we were a large group, we worked the logistics out quite nicely.

Another tradition we tried on for size is the first annual cousin produced Christmas play. Both Krista and I grew up having family Christmas plays as part of our own traditions, and both of us thought our kids would enjoy this one. I think this was another keeper! Heidi, as the oldest assumed the role of author and producer, which had its rocky moments. She had to learn a bit about compromise in this family of strong opinions, even if they were strong, little opinions! :) Most things got ironed out, Tom was happy to play any four legged creature, Elayna was radient as the angel and keeper of the star, Brynn and Kira with perhaps the most realistic costumes played Mary and Joseph,...they did a great job. I look forward to ensuing years as they develop in both their creativity and compromise skills! :) Here is a picture of the grande finale where they all lined up to sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." It was a fun evening and extra special when shared with family!

Christmas Programs

2010-01-17T13:36:00.000-08:00

I know I am a bit slow here, but didn't want Grammy to miss out on any of our activities, especially the grandkids as the stars of the show! :) Christmas wouldn't seem like Christmas without some kind of performances from the kids. I recall being in many of them myself, often with tinsel in my pigtails... Here are the reviews from this past season!

The last day of school, there was a Christmas program at school. Tom wouldn't tell me much about it, but his teacher had sent home a note to parents asking them to please allow the children to dress in a manner they felt was appropriate... Tom requested a sheet! So off to school he went with his sheet. The kindergarten admirably performed a song about baby Jesus who was played by Tom wrapped in his sheet. The shepherds came and brought him a lamb (as in the picture below). The wise men came and brought him gifts etc. It was very cute. Tom thoroughly enjoyed being the center of attention as well as pretending to be a baby.

The Sunday before Christmas the Sunday school classes at church were given the morning service time to perform. Kay is the only one of our children that currently attends French Sunday School. Their class had practiced the chorus to "Go Tell it on the Mountain" in English (there are three anglophones in the class) and then the three who knew English sang one of the verses together. The church members got a big kick out of hearing the 7-9 year old class singing in English. They were a very enthusiastic audience! Ereina, Bright and Kay all sang with lots of gusto, but somehow the girls ended up with the microphone in the front, you can't even see Bright standing behind them in this picture!
In addition, each member of the class had memorized one verse from the Christmas story in Matthew. The kids all did a great job passing the microphone down the line, each reciting their verse in sequence. The church let out a roar after Ereina and Kay said their verses in French though. They obviously knew that French was not the girls' first language and were very kind in showing their appreciation of the girls' hard work at memorizing their verses. It was a fun morning, each class was so proud at showing their parents verses, songs, and even a play that they had worked so hard to learn.

Tree Trimming A & B

2010-01-02T12:11:00.000-08:00

beautiful.

This vacation we have gotten to lots of little projects on our to-do list. One of those was tree trimming. This first kind is not the seasonal trim the Christmas tree kind of trimming, but the borrow a friends extension chain saw kind of trimming! Ian did the major work. Holding an extension chain saw up in the air for a good part of the morning is no easy task! But is was a fun new power toy! He cut down a lot of dead branches and then thinned out some branches from the big trees in the back yard. It was a family affair for the entire morning. I got in with the clippers and trimmed little sucker branches off trees as well as a lot of over grown plants. Kay and Tom enjoyed helping by moving branches to the wood pile. Why are kids so attracted to dead branches? Heidi helped some too with plant trimming and moving brush. What an object lesson! We were able to talk and think about how branches dry up and die when they are not connected to the tree just like we dry up when not connected to our Savior and his life. It is satifying to have that project done! Hopefully the gardens in our compound will benefit! I know our family enjoyed the morning together talking and working to make our compound look nice.

The other, more traditional December type of tree trimming happened this year as well! Dad's job is assembling the tree and hanging the lights up, then he claims the "supervisory" role. Mom's job is to hand out the ornaments, making sure they all have hooks and supplementing the upper branches at the end with a few extra ornaments. The kids all love hanging their special ornaments up on the tree and hearing the stories of where different family ornaments have come from over the years. I always enjoy the wide variety of ornaments we have: wood, metal, glass, yarn, clay, walnuts-almost anything you can imagine. This year we even had an ornament made out of a toilet paper tube (Go Tom!)! The shapes are even more varied than the materials: a violin, multiple air planes, a mailbox, and a church, a train, several dolls, a lobster, and lots of snowflakes, just to name a few! This process always reminds me how love, time and memories make even the most humble purple, clay angel beautiful! Here are the kids proud of our tree!As the kids get older I am enjoying the preperation for Christmas more each year. They love the traditions so much and I seem to find new wrinkles of meaning as I listen to them explain to each other why we do certain things.

Office Christmas Party

2009-12-27T11:52:00.000-08:00

This year we tried something different for our office Christmas party and had a family party. Bonnie did a great job of organizing everything; we had a variety of African and Western style dishes to eat and lots of fun games. Here is Kay and her classmate competing in the three legged race. They did a good job! Here our guest house hostess is helping some of the littlest ones figure out the three legged race. In addition to the three legged race, there was an obstacle course, a water balloon toss, and a blindfolded pudding-feeding contest among other things. I still hope to download the pudding pictures, there was some classic messes there! Stay tuned... Everyone was engaged in cheering the competitors on. Although the kids did the majority of the competing, we got some of us "big kids" involved too. Here we have our acting director and construction supervisor in the wheelbarrow race. They barely won as our computer intern and a family visitor were right on their heels! Some of the ladies even participated in the water balloon toss! It was fun to interact as families with those we work with every day. Unfortunately two of our employees were sick and couldn't come, another had a wedding he had to attend, and Ian was on a flight and couldn't come either. Despite the missing faces, we had fun enjoying eachother.

Family Picture

2009-12-26T03:30:00.000-08:00

Not planned for or dressed for, but we did finally spontaneously have someone take a picture of the entire family together. I am definitely becoming a picture-taking slacker!

St. Lucia's Day

2009-12-23T06:01:00.001-08:00

Kay spent the last two weeks of school learning about Christmas around the world. The great part about where we live is that we have a wealth of resource people from different countries. They talked about many different countries: Holland, France (with an accompanying bouche de noel), Mexico (with Mexican hot chocolate), England, Italy...

One of Kay's classmates is from Norway. Her mother came and explained St. Lucia's Day to the kids. I had to take a picture of this as every year my Swedish Dad tried to convince me to wear a wreath of candles in my hair and bring him St. Lucia's Day buns in bed. He was never successful. Too bad you are not closer Dad, maybe the genes skipped a generation! Here is Kay in her finery. She isn't the oldest daughter, and we didn't have a white dress, so a white tshirt had to suffice, but she enjoyed the celebration all the same!

THE COW

2009-12-23T04:59:00.000-08:00

We had to take pictures of this event to make my dad proud! You may have had pig experience Dad, but now, we have tried our hand at a cow... :)

Every December those of us living in Niamey are implicated in the preparation for SIM's spiritual life conference. It is a special time for our mission community to come together and worship, hear spiritual imput, fellowship together, laugh, cry, eat, and play together. We take advantage of the cooler weather and of school break to meet right after the new year. This means the weeks before Christmas are full of planning and preperations... moving furniture, cleaning houses, and this year, in an attempt to reduce our budget despite the soaring food prices, butchering!

This was a community effort for sure! Monday, one of our coworkers who lives about 45 minutes outside Niamey arranged for a cow from the market out there to be butchered for the price of the head, the skin and the hooves. He then brought the quarters in to town in the back of his truck. We were waiting in the Sahel dining hall kitchen with lots of dubious knives, several interested people, and very little experience! Here is Ian holding a piece as it is being weighed.Thankfully, a collegue from another mission was a butcher before coming to Niger. He was an emense help in guiding the rest of us amatuers. He could make that knife fly! That is speedy Roberto on the left.After the basic cutting the meat from the bones, we moved into meal preperation: bones went into enormous pots to make broth, meat was separated into quality for cubing (20 ki worth) and meat for grinding, and fat was trimmed and given to very happy canines. We attempted to do the actual grinding ourselves, but we didn't have a grinder that was sharp enough, so we had to give up on that. We did however, clean and cube 20 kilos of meat for conference sauce. We had a fun time together: lots of jokes and learning about animal anatomy! Here is Cindy finding the trechea... Ian very gleefully claimed the liver which he cooked quite expertly for our family last night. Much to my surprise, Tom and Kay both really enjoyed the liver and onions. Tom took four helpings! Unfortunatly, our total meal take was not quite enough for the meals we will share together at conference, so now we are looking into cow #2...

Piano Recital

2009-12-23T04:36:00.000-08:00

Our girls have been taking piano lessons this fall from one of the ladies in our community. Just before Christmas break, there was a small recital after school where students taking instrument lessons were able to perform. The variety was lots of fun, ranging from violin and piano to clarinet and flute. The girls each played several Christmas carols they had been working on. In fact, the majority of the students played carols which made the occasion a very festive end to the semester of lessons. Heidi has performed in recitals several times before and was very confident. Kay, however, was nervous! Thankfully, she did fine. Once the first song was successfully behind her, her tummy ache diminished and she enjoyed the rest of her performance as is evidenced by the big smile in this last picture below. If that doesn't say success, what does!? Afterward the girls enjoyed yummy Christmas goodies and the even sweeter taste of practice that had paid off! :) We appreciate the many people in our community that graciously share their talents with our kids enabling them to grow in different areas and have new experiences.

I'll be there!

2009-12-15T12:54:00.000-08:00

One thing we have continued to learn more and more in this culture is the importance of "being there." Back in the US, if you are invited to a special occasion, but you have to work, or your kids are small and ornery, or you have a really busy weekend, or you just don't feel like going to your neighbor's kid's piano recital, you can give a polite excuse and no one thinks anything of it. Here an event is AN EVENT with new clothes and lots of food, and to show you care, you must show your face, early though it be, tired as you are- being there for even a very short length of time is really important. I've thought about this in the context of Christmas. Isn't that what Jesus did for us? He came and dwelt among us, a physical presence testifying to God's love for us. We are slowly learning that our physical presence testifies our love for a person, and hopefully God's love as well.

This last month and a half we have had the opportunity to attend two different baby dedications. They were very different! The first was for our house worker. Salamatou has worked for us since our arrival here in 2001. She and her family are special to us, so we were excited to help celebrate the arrival of her fifth child, Zeeadd (spelled phonetically as I have NO idea how to spell it!). Idriss and Salamatou are Muslims, so typically a week after the birth of a child, there is a naming ceremony. The short ceremony is held outside among the men. The women are visiting with the mother and baby inside. The baby is brought out and the Muslium teacher, or maribou will chant some special things and the baby will be given his or her name. As here children "belong" to the father, often the mother has no idea what name will be given to her child until the grand announcement. This has been the case with our friends. After this comes the party! Often popcorn (with sugar) and cola nuts and dates are distributed to everyone. The women of the family or close friends will prepare a big feast, if the family can afford it, a sheep is slaughtered for the occation. Though we didn't stay for the feast later in the day, we enjoyed being a part of the celebration of little Zeeadd's birth! Here he is with his proud Mama and only sister (he has 3 older brothers.)

The other baptim we were invited to this month, Ian served as the family rep. Not only was he family rep, but also chauffeur! Fidel, a carpenter that Ian has worked with on several projects had another little boy. Fidel is from a Catholic background, so this was different than the majority of baby naming ceremonies we have attended. It was held in a local Catholic church. Ian used the SIMAIR van to transport the family over to the church. Little Sovereign was baptised and named much like a baby dedication back home. Here is a picture of his family (Fidel and his wife are in the yellow outfits and the little girl is their oldest.) with a few close friends.
After being together at the church, Ian drove a very FULL van back to Fidel's house where they celebrated the new little life in their family by, what else!? eating food!

We are greatful for the relationships of all sorts that we have here. Pray for us as we learn to "be there" in tangible ways that we would clearly show both our love and Jesus' love.

Neighbor's Yard Sale

2009-11-15T07:35:00.000-08:00

The last few months we have enjoyed having some new neighbors in the back yard. The kids have been especially thrilled as they had new play mates! J has been in Tom's kindergarten class too. In fact, as I type, they are all playing dress up! Little A enjoys all the girly toys that my girls are outgrowing. She loves coming and parading around with the doll carriage in pink frilly dresses. Tom & J have played everything from soccer to legos to makebelieve. They get along really well. When they moved in, we knew they were only in the neighborhood temporarily and unfortunately that time is coming to an end. At the end of this month their family heads back to New Zealand. As the photo above shows, J & A recently had a "tag sale" selling some of the toys they were not taking with them. We will miss them and their easy availabilty as play mates!

Track & Field Day

2009-11-15T06:20:00.000-08:00

This past Friday was one of our favorite events of the year: Track and Field Day! For those of you who know Ian and I from the past, you know we both competed on track teams in high school, so we always enjoy helping out. This was the second year Ian has been the starter. I always enjoy helping coach the jumps and relays in the weeks leading up to the big day. For a few weeks now the kids have worked hard during PE class to practice various Track and Field events. The entire school is divided into four teams. Each team chooses a color and team name and creates a team cheer. This year Heidi was on the "Blue Baracudas". Kay was a member of "The Big Red", and Tom's first ever field day team was the "Green Mambas". All three of them had a fantastic time!

The day begins at the National Stadium; all the teams enter marching together, after each presents their cheers, the sport begins! At our school, we don't have a track, so it is extra special that we have this day of competition in such a fine facility! Most of the traditional track and field events are represented, and though three weeks doesn't make anyone an expert, we have a lot of fun. The younger crowd (K-2)chose from the 200m, 100m, & 60m races, a shuttle relay, the hula hoop toss (the younger version of the discus), and broad jump. 3rd-4th grade also can participate in the long jump,a team relay and the 400m. Heidi's class (5/6)also add the high jump, shot put, a 4x 100m relay, 1500, and 800 onto their possibilities. Kay and Tom's ages also have lots of fun games in the infield such as a sack race & three legged race, among others. For each event you enter, you receive a point for your team. You also get points if you win an event in your age category. Given that we are a small school, sometimes you place just because you enter!

Kay and Tom participated in everything. They both said their favorite race was the "long curvy one" (ie the 200m). They both did a great job, even staying in their lanes, which is a feat in and of itself for the younger elementary kids! It will be interesting to see how they develop physically as they grow older, both of them were on the faster end of their classes. Heidi signed up to do the 1500m this year, among other things. I was very proud of her! She did a great job in her first ever long distance race: holding her form and running hard to the very end. She wasn't sure if the 1500m was her favorite or if the 100m was her favorite. It is fun having her take more of an interest in athletic things and even choosing to try something that is difficult and requires lots of effort and training!

After the morning at the track, we adjourn to the school for lunch and fun games in the afternoon. The kids played a very fun game with water. It was especially fun as everyone was so hot! After arranging their teams in height order, they were each given a plastic cup. The first person in line filled their cup, then had to pour the water into the next person's cup HOLDING THE CUP ON THEIR HEAD the whole time. The recipient also had to keep their own cup on their own head. They were trying to fill a small bowl at the end of the line. It was funny to see the littlest trying so hard to aim for the bowl and to successfully pour... nothing! or only little drips into the bowl. As you can imagine, everyone got quite wet! The game ruptured into a big water fight when near the end the principal got out the hose and hosed everyone down. Much fun was had by all! Here is Tom at the end of the green team line waiting for the water to come his way.

The thing I love best about field day every year is the glimpse of true community I come away with: a member of one team cheering on his competitor on another, the gracious welcoming and inclusion of home schoolers from all over Niger (and even Burkina this year!)on the various teams. The littlest kids are cheered for and helped by the big ones whether it be in showing them where to go for their leg of the relay or helping them find their water bottle. The big ones, in turn, have the respect and all the cheers the littlest kids can muster while they are competing. It is truly a joint effort and every member is valued whether they can contribute point wise or not. Each year, I appreciate the healthy competition that I see lived out and am so thankful for the models my children have in the realms of winning losing with grace, encouraging one another, and valuing every member.

Vacation week

2009-10-17T11:19:00.001-07:00

The kids are on break this week and we've had fun doing somethings we don't get to do as often now that they are all in school. We started the weekend with the yearly Niamey softball tournament. Ian was a captain for one of the teams this year. It was fun competition with the scores being very close for just about every game. Ian was disappointed to loose, yet again (0 for 3), to the Sahel team, but still greatly enjoyed the weekend. Since then, we've had several family movie nights, multiple play dates and one sleepover. We've been able to go to the pool a few times as well. We also had a fun SIMAIR night where all three families got together for pizza and then after we retired the kids, the adults got together for games and dessert! For the most part I have stayed home from the office. Next week will be work heavy, so it is a nice lull before the storm of meetings.

Right before let out for school break, the kids had spirit week. Each day they were supposed to dress up as something different. Kay won a prize for her tornado day costume where she dressed up like a tornado using a hula hoop, black material and black streamers. Tom and another classmate won for comfy day; he went in his pjs and took his blankie. From what I could tell, the judges just couldn't pass up the cuteness of kindergartners in their pajamas! My favorite was identity switch day. Tom dressed up like his daddy the pilot- spitting image! And Kay dressed up like the PE teacher- she could have been Coach shrunk down. Heidi also dressed up like fun things, but unfortunately as she has PE first thing 3 days a week, I didn't get to see many of her costumes in their full glory. Her class did win best elementary cheer during the pep rally on the final day though, so the glories were evenly shared.

Isn't he too young?

2009-10-07T05:54:00.000-07:00

For the second time this school year, Tom came home from kindergarten today telling me he wanted to give something special to a girl in his class. I would think nothing of it if he did the same to the boys too, but so far only girls have been the recipients. When asked why he wanted to give them something, he replies with a big grin,"because I LIKE them." The first time I didn't think anything of it until I saw the resulting picture full of hearts...Isn't he too young for this?

Games Day

2009-09-27T08:21:00.000-07:00

Recently the student council at Sahel Academy sponsored an afternoon of fun and games for the whole school. After school, most kids stuck around and parents arrived to cheer on their students as they participated in various games. The secondary students divided into four teams and played kickball. The 3-6th graders, again in four teams, played soccer on the basketball court. It was hot in the sun, but they didn't seem to mind. Heidi even enjoyed herself. It is fun to see her more willing to participate in sports. (This the 1st grader who said, "I don't want to play soccer, you get sweaty!") The k-2nd played assorted games (Four corners, What time is it Mr. Wolf?)on the grassy area between the buildings. It was great hanging out with friends and taking time to play together. Much fun was had by all as you can see from the pictures. They slept well that night!

Resourcefulness in the Rain

2009-09-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

One of the things I have come to love about Africans is their resourcefulness. Currently I have a beautiful purse, much commented on, made out of a plastic mat. A friend of mine has a computer bag beautifully crafted entirely out of plastic ice cream bags sewn together and, I must mention, it is lined- with recycled water bags! I can’t wait to buy one! In Niger, I have seen items I would have thrown away recycled and reused in unimaginable ways! Large milk powder cans store books where termites can’t intrude. No vehicle, no problem! Mattresses can be carried on a bicycle, as can your goat, or even your family of three. Plastic bags turn into many, many things: woven into a wallet perhaps, or serving as the ever present patch for any pipe that is leaking. This trait is never more obvious to me than in rainy season.
Niger rains are not usually a slow, steady drizzle or an overcast day with heavy mists now and again. The rains here come with a vengeance. It pours cats and dogs (or would raining camels and goats perhaps be a more fitting phrase?). Everything becomes drenched in minutes. Streets flood up to your knees, (drainage is largely disregarded due to the complete lack of need for it 8-9 months of the year). It is largely understood that if rain comes, all appointments are off. Someone is not expected to come to work until after the rain has passed. But what are you to do if you are caught in it? In particular, what is a man on a moped to do? (Mopeds and bicycles being the most common form of transportation.) I’ve seen lots of men on motos recently with suit pant legs rolled up, or better yet, dress shoe enclosed feet on top of the body of the motorcycle and plastic bags tied on their heads… The goats tied on top of a van become common place, but whenever it rains, I remember … creativity and resourcefulness know no bounds!! Viva the plastic bag! :)

F is for FROG

2009-09-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

It is official, my son has fallen in love with amphibians! The past months have seen him FREQUENTLY searching them out after the evening church service to joyfully thrust into people's faces. I think he enjoys the screams as much as the frogs! If the screaming person is close to his size, he also enjoys chasing the screamer with the frog. A week or so ago, I noted he was giving his younger cousin, Silas, frog exposure time, showing him the best way to hold and pet a frog. Perhaps due to the recent rains, all the baby frogs appeared this week at Sahel. We are talking hundreds and hundreds of them! They are no bigger than my thumb (see Tom holding one up above)and seem to hop out of every clump of grass by the handfuls. Handfuls is NOT a random word choice either! The kindergarten boys (and others) have spent all their spare outdoor time this week collecting them, primarily in their hands, but also in cups and back packs and any other available container. Despite lectures that live frogs were not allowed in my truck (that was directed at my niece, Kira, who promptly zipped them in her lunch bag. "See Aunt Beka, they won't get out!")and that the neighbors' hungry cat would shorten the life of any small moving creature in our yard, Tom snuck one home in his aunt's car after school today. Luckily, I had a tip off, or that frog would be roaming the house uninhibitedly (is that a word?)this evening. As it was, when I received the timely tip (THANKS KRISTA!!!)mr. frog was still under the basket where he was initially hidden in Tom's room and was forthwith escorted outside to befriend the bunny. Tom and his backyard buddy, Joe spent the afternoon "playing" with the new "pet." Unfortunately, the frog couldn't stand all the love and died just before dinner time. Frogs ON his backpack, frogs IN his backpack. Paper frogs and plastic frogs. They are all the rage in our house this week for one 5 year old boy!

Details, Details...

2009-08-24T07:34:00.000-07:00

As I interact with other people, I realize time and again what a detail person I am. Sometimes I am TOO detail oriented, too picky; I major on the minors and sweat the small stuff. But other times it is confirmed to me that God made me with an eye for details and that is a good thing! I have been reminded of this as I have read through Deuteronomy lately. What stuck out to me this time was how precise God was in his directions, particularly in making things for the tabernacle. He delineated exactly what He wanted made, what specific types of materials and colors to make things with, who was to make them, where each item was to be placed and used, who was to use each item and how, even who was to care for moving and carrying each item on the road. Now those are detailed instructions! I was reminded again that we have a VERY detailed God. He was glorified in the details. Another confirmation that my eye for details is God given has been my new job at the office. Though I have just recently started, I can already tell I will enjoy it. Why? I get to fine tune all the details: organize files, develop charts, keep records up to date, plus I am still in charge of arranging housing for newcomers which entails matching curtains and remembering to put everything from spoons to toilet paper in the house. I LOVE details! I glory in details. I am very happy when time allows me to fine tune the details. God has made me detailed, and it glorifies him. To misquote Eric Liddel, “when I organize I feel his pleasure!”

First Day!

2009-08-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

Empty nesting has officially begun, for the mornings at least. Tom is officially a kindergartener, and very proud of it as you can tell by the big smile above!! In the school parking lot, on the way to the opening assembly, he told me he didn't need to hold my hand because he was a BIG boy now, but he consented to hold Daddy's hand saying, "because you will miss me right Dad?" Kay and Heidi are now in 2nd and 5th respectively. Kay has a big class for Sahel with 18 kids in her combined 1/2 class. 16 of them are girls!!! Heidi has entered the "big leagues" of 5th grade coming home with books to cover and homework to do on the first day. They all started on Wednesday with a half day and can't wait for the end of the weekend to get back again! We are so thankful for the many staff that God has provided this year. Not only do we have all the elementary positions filled, including Bible and French, but we have been blessed with a PE teacher, an art teacher, and a music teacher! Continue to pray for the secondary as they await a key English teacher, and have several more postions including someone for the computer lab that they would like to have on the ground.

Good, Clean Fun!

2009-08-16T08:02:00.000-07:00

During a post-swim shower, the cousins all got in on the soaping and posing.

Summer goals: Heidi

2009-08-01T06:19:00.000-07:00

Before vacation comes to an end, I have to get in a blog about Heidi's summer goals! We have had poor internet connection the last bit, so I'm not sure if pictures will come with this blog or not!
Heidi wanted to do a lot of projects this summer. She had made her kitchen debut this past school year, learning how to make meatloaf, and this summer she has expanded her repertoire enormously! She has made everything from lemon bars (her favorite) and brownies, to muffins and cakes, to beef stroganoff and sloppy joes! I am LOVING having her helpful hands around. This summer she has been in charge of planning and making dinner one night a week. I will miss that when school starts!!! Heidi is also very interested in creating right now, she has a sewing project, a crochet project, and a cross stitching project all underway. Her skills in all those areas continue to grow. She has worked on her watercolor painting a bit this summer too. I am proud of her creativity and desire to learn new things.

Mom's goals for Heidi this summer were to take advantage of her interest in the kitchen to show her some basic cooking and meal planning skills. We tried to give her some freedom to continue to emphasise the responsibility that comes with it. She has been shopping down the street for me, continues to take care of her bunny, and both bunnysat and "babysat" this summer. She is growing into quite a young lady!

(Oh well, pictures to come later! I give up! )

ROUS-es

2009-07-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

Who among us has watched The Princess Bride? Since my sister is reading, I can assume at LEAST one person who will quickly grasp the meaning of my title! We have had an outbreak of ROUS-es at our house... (Rodents Of Unusual Size for those of you not fortunate to have watched the movie a million times forwards and backwards.) Here is the most frequent visitor. He even built his own house. Sometimes he has companions as well...

If he were to turn around, you could also see his tail!

Lowly the Worm

2009-07-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

Well, we have been living in Africa on and off for almost 8 years now. We are very thankful that we have never caught any strange diseases or anything other than normal viruses; there are a plethora to choose from too! This week, Heidi broke our trend! Ian has named him Lowly after the Richard Scary character... I don't think these are unheard of in the States, but with many more dogs and cats dewormed, and not as many chances to walk barefoot, it is less of a problem. Here these parasites are frequent during rainy season, which we are trying hard to have right now. They don't cause much harm actually, eventually if left to their own devices, they would die and be ousted from the body on their own as they can't reproduce there, but meanwhile, their wiggling is VERY itchy. The solution? We took a worm medicine and crushed it up,put it in vaseline, and applied it topically (that is what the orange blobs are). The red line is Lowly himself! If my sister in law is reading this, she will be saying, "That is so discusting!" but Heidi says you are a nurse, so you should be used to things like this. She was rather grossed out herself at first though too!

Uniforms

2009-07-19T13:19:00.001-07:00

I mentioned in another post that they girls and I had matching outfits made, VERY African. Here for a wedding or other celebration often families or organizations have outfits made out of the same material. For example, I recently attended a graduation and the graduates, their families and the school staff all had matching outfits. I had a "uniform" for the wedding I attended earlier this spring, and I also have one from our church women's group. Here is the picture of the girls and I all coordinating!

Summer Goals: Tom

2009-07-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

Tom's efforts this summer have focused on whistling. He is trying really hard, but alas, as of yet no success. I did get some cute pictures of him trying though! Who can whistle when they are trying not to giggle?

Of course, Mom has goals as well. Tom is drying and putting away the silverware and learning to set the table properly, though we haven't gotten very proper yet as I haven't taken the time to show him too much. Here he is celebrating the silverware? What a clown!
He is also helping to gather laundry: all the towels one day, the bathing suits another. Plus he has become our resident expert in putting on pillow cases! He is really teetering between wanting to be big: play with the bigger kids, go to school, read & so many other things, and wanting to stay Mama's baby: he loves to cuddle, wants help with things he knows how to do already. Never thought I would be one to say that I am sad to see the last one off to school, but it is true. I am going to miss his sunny little self at home and work in the mornings when he starts kindergarten!

Happy Fourth!!

2009-07-05T04:33:00.000-07:00

Friday night Ian and I started our celebration of our country's birthday by going to a party hosted by the ambassador. We have never gone to one before; it was very interesting, not quite what I expected. For starters, suits & ties and evening attire isn't my interpretation of "business casual" dress! We filed in and shook hands with a whole line up of people whom I could not identify (except for the ambassador). Too bad they didn't wear name tags so we knew who they were and what they did! I was also rather surprised at how many people were invited that were not Americans. Obviously, given our surroundings, there would be some, but 3/4 of the very large crowd were not Americans at all. I guess I should have guessed if they extended the guest list to include me, it must have been quite extensive! :) Mostly it was a reception on the grass with drinks and the occasional munchie if you were willing to use football moves to get near a serving tray. The Marines presented the colors, a band played the our local national anthem as well as the Star Spangled Banner and the ambassador made a speech which no one could hear, I think it was in French? They passed around sparklers which was fun, but over all, I was hot & hungry, my feet hurt and I don't think I would go again! I am not a big fan of social mixing I guess.

Saturday we celebrated in a more traditional way: with our family! Heidi started the day on clothing patrol, insuring we all wore the appropriate red, white and blue. She asked me if I wanted her to pick out my clothes, but I told her I thought I could handle it, thanks anyway! :) Though there weren't any parades or fireworks, swimming and playing softball were on the schedule, as well as dinner outside. Then, in the evening, came the grand fanale which was a big gathering complete with red and blue tablecloths, homemade ice cream (YUM!) and games.
These pictures are for you Amy! We may be far away, but we still did our part of the cousin Fourth of July line up! Krista and I BOTH reminded eachother :) so we were thinking of you all across the ocean.

So, here they are, after a day in the pool and an evening of eatting chocolate ice cream and getting sweaty with their friends, they look pretty decent considering all that!

Oldest to youngest: Heidi, Kay, Kira, Tom, Brynn, Elayna, & Silas

I thought it rather appropriate that though attired in their red, white and blue, they are sitting on a couch that had African themed cushions!

Happy Birthday USA!
As a country, God's grace has truely been "shed on thee," we pray that God's mercy, justice and love would be evidenced through our leaders and citizens from "sea to shining sea."

Summer Goals: Kay

2009-07-04T04:54:00.001-07:00

All of the kids have some things they want to accomplish this summer. Kay really wants to learn how to ride her two wheeler without training wheels. We don't have very many places for beginners to ride here. Our driveway is fairly bumpy and sandy, both of which are hard when you are trying to learn how to balance. The other afternoon was fairly cool and Ian had some time, so we went over to the rec center basketball court to give it a go. She doesn't quite have a feel for the balance yet, but she and Dad had LOTS of exercise and fun! I sat on the sidelines with the camera and finished up Ian's ice tea! :) Someone has to be the cheerleader! She won't give up until she succeeds, so I have a feeling we will be headed to the court many times this summer!

Mom also has summer goals for the kids, mostly involving household skills. Kay has been sorting clothes and loading the washing machine several times a week and drying dishes as well. She and Tom are also learning to put new sheets on the bed. This is a fairly hysterical procedure so far, involving heavy doses of Mom-involvement. This week, Ian and I are sleeping on sheets that are inside out... but they started out inside out and sideways, so we are much improved! :) Summer is a good time to learn and grow in all sorts of ways!

Tom and his buddies

2009-06-22T13:44:00.000-07:00

Poor Tom has been getting the shaft due to all the end of school blogs. We can't ignore his cute self, he is growing up so fast! It seems he stretches a bit more every day. He is really ready for kindergarten this fall. It has been particularly fun recently watching him interact with his friends. It is fun to see them playing games together and developing their social skills. This is a picture of him with one of his friends, Johnny, at the Fine Arts Festival. Their friend Ethan usually is with them as well. The three of them really enjoy playing at the pool together and at the playground. They all love cars and animals. Currently they are frequently seen trying to catch lizards and frogs. I have to get a more recent picture of the three of them together!

Fine Arts Festival: Heidi's turn to shine

2009-06-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

This Sunday Heidi played the piano for the offertory at our evening service. She was nervous, but she did a fine job. She had the first part memorized, and then couldn't find her place when she ran out of memory, so she started again, this time remembering to look at the music the entire song. In honor of Father's Day, she played the hymn "This is My Father's World."

The piano playing reminded me though that I neglected to get back to blogging some of the girls' end of the year activities; one of them being the fine arts festival at school. During the two evenings the spring play was being performed, the art teacher set up k-12 artwork from the entire year in the library. She worked really hard to pull all this together, and it looked fantastic. All of the students had at least one piece of artwork in the show. Previous to the showing, judges had awarded a ribbon to the "best in show" for each grade grouping (K, 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, etc). There were also two "runner up/well done" ribbons given in each category. It was fun to see all the things they had been learning in art this year. Heidi won "Best of Show" for her picture shown here. Here is Kay standing next to some of her artwork. You can see it at the top of the matting above her head with the large painted sun. Before the play and during intermission times people were free to browse the work which also included writing the students had submitted.

Students were also encouraged to sign up to perform musically as well. (Hence my piano connection, I'm sure you were wondering how that came in!) My very enthusiastic daughters both signed up to play the piano, despite the fact that they had only been back into piano lessons for a few weeks (Kay never having had previous lessons at all)! But they did very well, and it was nice for them to play for the small group gathered in the library. Here is a picture of Heidi playing "Amazing Grace." Kay played "God is So Good," one of my favorite songs! Unfortunately, my camera battery died just as she started playing, so I didn't get a picture of her at the piano. I am very thankful that our school here continues to expand and explore new ways kids can develop the gifts God has given to them.

I couldn't end this blog without this picture of the girls from that evening. Here it is considered VERY COOL to have a "uniform" where several friends, or even better, your whole family wears an outfit made of the same cloth. The girls and I all three had these dresses made. We all like them as they are very comfortable, and the girls were SO excited that they have "twinsie" dresses with Mom. I must confess, we haven't all THREE worn them together yet... perhaps my Western upbringing cringes thinking about being "twins," but who knows, perhaps we'll coordinate yet. Heidi is a very avid coordinator after all! Wonder where she gets that from!? :)

"Sorry" summer

2009-06-12T13:16:00.000-07:00

We haven't had too many days of vacation yet, but in the past week and a half, we have definitely seen a major theme developing... It is going to be a "Sorry" summer! All three of the kids enjoy playing games, and this is one they can all three play together. One day they logged 6 games total! Kay and Tom are especially fanatical. If one of them is gone for a bit during the game to use the bathroom or to finish a chore, they will play for one another, sometimes continuing the entire game by themselves- they just can't stop! Tom is currently the reigning champion, he wins so often it is uncanny. The girls don't mind too much though as our family rule is the winner cleans up the board!

Swim Olympics

2009-06-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

Our internet has been down for one of the busiest weeks of the year: the last week of school! So I have a lot of catching up to do as far as posting things on the blog! Every time we turned around the kids had another party: birthday parties, end of the year parties, class parties, goodbye parties, graduation parties. In addition to those, we had several big "events" the first of which started on Monday, June 1. Every year as the temperatures rise at the end of school, the kids have a swim unit in PE. One of the moms in our community was a competitive swimmer all through high school and college, and she has become the backbone of this program. The kids all enjoy it so much! We are thankful at her willingness to share her skills with them. As Sahel does not have a pool, this unit involves renting a pool or two around the city for the week or so they have daily lessons. This year the pool our girls were at had a 3 meter platform. Both of them braved the platform and jumped off! Kay, our spunky one, didn't stop there though! She was doing front flips off the 3 meter platform, curling into a ball and somersaulting off! Since then, she had been working on her back dive so she can try a back flip next year. Here she is going off the tower.

This year the girls worked really hard on learning different strokes. I was so impressed with Kay's butterfly!! I can't even do that! Heidi improved a lot too. Her shallow dive has really improved which helped her when it came to race time. Here she is doing the back stroke.
The best part of the swim unit is the elementary swim meet at the end. Teachers, parents and younger siblings all turn out to watch. The kids have LOTS of fun with races for every level of swimmer, as well as fun events such as the biggest splash and longest holding of your breath under water. The K-6 swimmers are divided into teams and compete through the morning for points for their team as well as individual points. Here Heidi (in the blue striped swim shirt) is sitting with some of her friends and teammates.

This is Kay (pink suit) and her buddy. They both just got their short haircuts in the last few months. Aren't they cute?
At the end of the morning, the kids have some snacks and then free time in the pool while the points are being tallied. Kay won first place in the girls' 1/2 class category! We are so proud of her. She is not the biggest, nor the strongest, but she definitely has good coordination and some interest in sports. Perhaps she will be the family athlete! Well done Kay!

RAIN!

2009-05-25T12:19:00.000-07:00

Here in Niger it is the magic word! We had a beautiful, steady rainstorm on Saturday night; the first we have had this year. There is nothing more soothing than listening to rain on a metal roof, especially as the rain is always accompanied by a significant drop in temperature. I was watching a movie and had to pause it because the rain was so loud! Can't complain about that interuption! Ian was out in a village with a group from church showing the Jesus film. The rain passed through the village before they arrived and though they saw the lightening from afar, all was clear for their evening showing. The rain finally came down in buckets as he was dropping the last few people off at their homes here in Niamey. God had that timed just right! I don't have any pictures or any fancy stories about the rain for this post, I just wanted to share our joy at its arrival! Pray that it will come consistently allowing crops to grow and flourish this year in West Africa.

Don't mess with them bad girls!

2009-05-22T08:53:00.001-07:00

Below, Heidi and Kay dressed for success... I might add that Heidi specifically picked out her sneakers while we were in the US on the basis of whether or not they would be good for Mission Impossible! As you can tell it is a much anticipated activity in our house. This is the first year Kay got to participate. They both came home EXTREEEEEEEEMELY dirty and very tired. This blog is slightly out of order as it happened the night BEFORE our cousins arrived. I was waiting to post it however, until Heidi could tell you all about the even in her own words. So without further ado, I will let Heidi tell you about it.
Mission Impossible is a game that the whole school plays. The little kids like that because we don't get to play with the big kids very often. The director says that the whole point of the game is to have fun. We, the kids, think that the whole point of the game is to stay up late, play with the big kids, play with our friends that we only see at school, win the game, and to go outside after dark which we are never allowed to do other wise. At home you are supposed to get dressed in the darkest clothing possible. You are also suppose to get your skin as dark as possible with sand, charcoal, face paint, ...etc. One high school boy even sprayed a bottle of spray paint on himself!
Everyone meets at the school dining hall at dusk were they explain the rules and divide everyone into two teams. The game takes place over the entire school grounds which has a wall around it. The object of the game is to get as many points as possible for your team before the horn blows. First each team tries to find their hidden pick up station where you pick up "microfilm" (a piece of paper) that is worth points, and their hidden drop off station where you drop off the pieces of paper to get your points. Throughout the compound there are "bombs" hidden. You can take these to the drop off stations too for lots of points. The hard part of the game is that the staff and other grown ups are out there with balls trying to catch you and take away your "life"(bracelet) and your papers. if they hit/capture you, you have to go back to the dining hall and get a new "life" and start all over.
This year my team won by only one point! They say this is the first time that has happened! it was lots of fun!

THEY'RE BAAAAAACK!

2009-05-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

Our kids have been counting the days until their cousins are back in country with us. They arrived in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Finally we couldn't resist going and waking them up before we ate lunch. After letting them settle in a little bit, they came over for supper last night. The kids had a ball together, literally(!!) complete with dress ups and Brynn coaching Tom on how the Prince (Tom) was supposed to dance with Cinderella (Brynn). If you are wanting your own coaching on this enchanting subject, you will have to ask Brynn for the finer details, but I gathered it was all about one of Cinderella's hands swishing the skirt around and the Prince holding her waist during the dance... Last time they arrived for their first term, I took a hysterical picture of all the Niamey cousins in dress ups, so since they were already appropriately attired, I couldn't resist repeating the picture theme. It is so nice to have family back with us again especially as so much of the rest of our mission "family" will be leaving soon for vacations or home assignment times! Welcome Back Kevin and Krista! :)

Hair today, gone tomorrow

2009-05-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

Well, hot season has arrived, so all of us but Heidi got the chop. Heidi is hanging on to her long, hot tresses. Tom and Ian just got the normal-for-them buzz. Kay wins the cutest haircut and most dramatic haircut award. Her hair was most of the way down her back, but, inspired by several short hair cuts in her class, she let the hair dresser cut it all off! It looks so great! The picture really doesn't do it justice. Her face is so petite, that having lots of long hair really overwhelmed it. Now we should have faster morning and evening routines and less hair shedding in the house.
As a side note, only in Niger do you go to get your hair cut and have the electricity cut off... we were SO sweaty by the time we left that all our hair that had been on our heads, stuck to us! UGH!

The King's Fair

2009-05-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

Sahel Academy's student council does a really great job planning fun things for the student body and community to do. Last night was one of this year's big events: a medieval fair! As usual, stuco went all out with decorations, turning the campus into a real fairground complete with ramparts and walls. We paid our "taxes" and enjoyed a feast as well as attended a play, enjoyed the jester and had fun at numerous booths. Among other things, our two princesses and one dragon slew several other dragons (they were not related!), stormed a castle, rode the king's steed, passed the requirements for being crowned princesses, looted treasure chests, and participated in water torture. I was disappointed that Tom didn't win an award in the fashion show for his dragon costume, until I learned the prizes were live chickens! Phew! We dodged a bullet or should I say a sword!? Much fun was had by all! Included here are pictures of Heidi the Princess and her classmate, Sara, Tom the dragon and his friend Ethan the knight. They had fun in combat. (Note Tom's fire-y breath!) Kay is pictured "slaying" the dragon (with darts). Heidi gloating over Dad in the stocks. Tom has spent the day today killing off ants with his newly acquired sword. He still insists he is a dragon though, not a knight. I guess the sword is loot from one of the knights he defeated in combat?

Sad news

2009-04-29T06:46:00.000-07:00

FISH : Little Squeek

Tom got a fish.
Which was his wish.
We found him dead
But he still had a head!
He was found in his dish.

by Heidi, who is studying poetry- including limericks -in school this month. And they say you never use what you learn in school! HA!

Some like it hot...

2009-04-29T05:50:00.000-07:00

"Some like it hot, some like it cold...," says the old rhyme, but I would protest that NO ONE likes it THIS hot. This time of year always brings me a greater appreciation for the verses in Psalms/Proverbs about water; they just pop off the page... trees planted by streams of water that bear fruit even in drought (ahh for the shade of a nice cool, leafy tree.. this is how hard drought is...), good news being like cold water (how refreshing! with ice perhaps... or maybe poured over my head...), the Psalmist thirsting after God as you thirst for water (how single focused my thoughts would be)... A new hot season connection was made for me this week. Hopefully my attempt to explain the nebulous thoughts won't prove, as I often suspect, that my brain has cooked 'en tete'! In Bible study this week, we talked about how longing is inherent in waiting. If you don't long for something, you don't even notice you are waiting. We discovered that, in one version anyway, the same word in Hebrew is translated as "long" in one sentence and "wait" in the following phrase.

Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him." Isaiah 30:18

This put a new spin for me on the idea of God waiting for me- there is inherent longing in that. How He longs for a strong relationship with me!?! Amazing but true... Also interesting that he waits to be gracious to me. He has something up his sleeve with the timing there, but most of all, this discovery put another spin on the idea of me waiting on God. There are lots of verses that I have come across over the years talking about waiting on God. "Those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength" for instance. What if instead of picturing drumming my fingers as I waited impatiently for him to act, I pictured me longing for HIM? As I drip in my "cool" 96 degree bedroom, this speaks physically to me. Because the humidity has been high lately, each day we wait impatiently for the start of the rains to break the pressure and the high temperatures. Unfortunately, although we sometimes have showers now and again through May and June, it is unlikely that regular rainfall will start before July. So the waiting, full of longing, seeming to last forever, for rain I am doing, is a physical reminder that I need to be longing and waiting - using similar emotions-for something more substantial! The nice part is the promise that is slipped in the end of that verse in Isaiah, BLESSED are all who wait... Someday, the longing will be filled! Both my tangable longing for rain, but even more, my longing for justice, for peace, for healed relationships, for so much more... both now and in the time to come. He who longs and waits to be gracious and show me favor will finally get to the end of his wait. I'm so glad he doesn't leave us hanging! So this year as I sweat, I am trying to use it to remind me to make sure my real longing is for something beyond just the ac!

Bunny Surprises

2009-04-16T06:04:00.000-07:00

Some of you who know me know my EXTREME reluctance to own pets. I like other people's pets, but to my mind I have enough mess to clean up and people to feed without adding someone furry to the list, because everyone knows that no matter whose pet the animal is supposed to be, MOM ends up caring for it. This December, however, after seeing some unmistakable signs of responsibility from the girls, I finally caved to the pressure, and we got a rabbit. Our rational was that rabbits are fuzzy and fill the cuddling need, but unlike dogs, they stay in a cage so they don't ruin the plants or leave surprises in the yard! Also, given the cage, it is much easier to find "bunny sitters" when we are back in the US for a time. Plus, Heidi isn't allergic to them like she is to cats. Since our coworkers were the ones with the baby bunnies, the price was right too.

The whole family trooped over to pick one out. One of them hopped right up to us and acted very friendly, so we decided this bunny was the one for us. We were told the rabbit was a boy, another plus in our minds: no babies possible! After much debate, the kids named him Cuddles, (much to Ian's chegrin, he was routing for Peter or Jack.)

This vacation we agreed to "bunny sit" another male rabbit for a family while they were on vacation. After seeing the two bunnies frolic in the yard, I told Ian, "Either that is one dumb bunny, or he knows something we don't..." Sure enough, upon further investigation, we discovered that Cuddles was a girl AND now, soon to be a mom! (Ian felt that Cuddles was a much more suitable name given our new knowledge.) Ian and Heidi worked together to make a new bigger cage for the soon to be mama. Kay suggested they paint it green, so Cuddles would think she was in the grass :) The girls have done a great job of caring for the bunny. They remember to give her food and water each day without being prompted, and Heidi frequently takes the bunny out of her cage to cuddle with and give her free running and digging time in our enclosed yard.

Since December, I have caved even farther. Tom is now the proud owner of a VERY small, mostly transparent fish named Little Squeek.

Easter Weekend

2009-04-13T08:53:00.000-07:00

We trust you had a great weekend remembering and celebrating Jesus' death and resurrection on our behalf. Easter, along with other Christian holidays, is always a bit different here because hardly anyone is preparing to celebrate compared with the hussle and bussle and mad advertising back home. We didn't even dye eggs this year as we couldn't find any white ones.

Throughout the week before Easter, our family has a tradition of opening a plastic egg each night before bed. Each egg contains an object that reminds us of part of the Easter story and some corresponding verses. This year, however, we got an even more visual and interactive version of the events of Holy Week. We began the weekend with a chapel service at Sahel Academy on Good Friday. The entire school participated in acting out the story of Jesus' last week. Starting with the younger grades with their palm branches, through the Last Supper, the crucifiction, and Jesus' resurrection. Intermingled with the story we sang songs that reflected on what we were seeing. They did a great job.

Saturday we participated in the annual Easter egg hunt at the ambassador's residence. The kids left with LOADS of loot. Tom, in particular, found the "golden egg" for his age group and so came home with an extra big load.

Sunday we attended our church's annual Easter baptismal service. First breakfast was served, a spicy meat mixture on baguette, then we gathered around the outside baptismal to watch as 10 people publicly declared their faith-there was even tv coverage! As usual, our kids are facinated by the chance to watch in an up close and personal way. They stationed themselves right next to the cement edge so that they would see every bit of the proceedings. It made even more of an impact than usual as the big brother of one of their friends from school was getting baptized. This was followed by the normal Sunday service. Africans really are much more open to expressing joy in physical ways than we westerners, so we had a joyful service with singing, clapping, dancing- the highlight of that was the very old grandma that danced down the aisle, a good message, and celebrating communion together. How thankful we are that Jesus has risen so that we are no longer in bondage of death! At this time of year I love remembering John Donne's Holy Sonnet #10 "One short sleep past, we wake eternally and Death, thou shalt die!" Or as the Bible puts it, "Death, where is thy victory!?"

After church, we returned home to prepare lunch for 13. Our neighbors and a few friends joined us and we had a fun time of eating, laughing, doing puzzles, and being silly together-notably the visits of two funny bunnies... I am always so grateful for other adults in my children's lives who love them and play with them and treat them as important people. I loved that the kids were included in conversations and in puzzle solving. How many people do you know that would go THIS far in playing Easter bunny with a 5 year old!?

Today, Easter Monday, is not a holiday in the US, but it is here for some reason! We always enjoy the extra day to sleep late and clean up after a full day on Sunday. Stay tuned for our next post when we will tell you all the latest about our own live, Easter bunny...
HAPPY EASTER!

Olympics

2009-04-04T05:44:00.000-07:00

The girls are finishing up their spring break. One of the things we have been doing together while they are home is watching the Olympics. I know, I know, a bit late! Someone recorded the entire Olympics coverage on dvds for friends of ours and they finally finished watching them and passed them on to us just in time for vacation! The kids have LOVED watching! Mezmorized in fact.
Tom wants every team identified. Due to his lack of geography knowledge, it has been easier to identify teams with people. Amazing how many countries we can associate with people! We have Grandpa's team (US)and Grammy and Papa's team (Romania), Uncle Ed and Aunt Linda's team (Canada), Reuben and Jared's team (Australia), and the list goes on... Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Norway, New Zealand, Japan, China, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nigeria ... each country is associated with someone he knows and loves. I've come to realize again what a big world our children have been exposed to as a result of our coming overseas. I love that they have faces of real people to match with name on a map. Obviously, like the real event, our dvds have been heavy on water sports at first. As a result, our pool times this break have been full of IM attemps and backstroke starts. Heidi even put out one leg of a pretty decent butterfly attempt! Kay has taken up diving. Tom is even swimming "laps" back and forth the width of the pool, but my favorite reaction of his was his imitation of Micheal Phelps after the come from behind win of the men's relay team. This imitation (complete with no shirt) left us all in stiches (right). It has been fun seeing their interest and understanding of sports expand through watching. They are discovering sports they never heard of before, learning rules, and watching how people win and lose. All of these things we have less opportunity to watch/participate in here, so it is nice they get the opportunity. Now the synco diving is on, and then we are headed to the pool again, so I had better run! :)

Wedding Trip aka Mom's long weekend away

2009-04-04T04:04:00.000-07:00

Just a few weeks ago I attended my first ever Christian wedding here. Since it was a 9 hour trip by road, I combined the visit with an opportunity to hang out with some friends in the area for a few days and help with some of the wedding preparations. Heidi and Kay still had school, so Ian held down the fort at home and it was a Mom's long weekend out! It was a fun time and a great chance to have a break from being on call 24/7 at the guest house and at our house!

After a few days of helping make ribbon roses for the cake, sample the cake :), giving decorating opinions and making name tags for the "top table" (as my British friend called it), we were ready to prepare ourselves! Here in Niger, the bride usually picks a material for the wedding and the guests will buy the material and make outfits for themselves to wear to the wedding. It is not required, but it is fun to see many of the people attending in "uniform." Because I was outside of the capitol, and because it was a more formal occasion, I had to wear a head scarf. In everyday life in the city, I don't bother, so in preparation, a friend of mine in the office had given me remedial head scarf lessons. Poor Ouma had a very head scarf challanged student! I was thankful that Leng, who I was staying with was the head scarf queen and could tie mine so it would look normal and stay on all morning! The wedding party and friends also often have henna designs done on their hands and feet. Here is a picture of my henna next to the wedding material.

Here is a picture of the bride and groom. Louise and her family have worked and been associated with SIM for many years in many different capacities. Aaron grew up in Nigeria and worked short term with SIM here in Niger for a while. And a picture of the entire wedding party... these pictures were taken before hand, as at the church, the wedding party does not stand at the front, and for the most part, neither do the bride and groom, more on that later. The bridesmaids with the hats are two of Louise's sisters. Aaron's two brothers are standing on either side of the couple.
There were several non-traditional things that happened in relation to the wedding and some traditional things as well. It is not traditional here for brides to smile. They are supposed to look properly sad at the thought of leaving their mother and father. In a break with tradition, Louise did smile, which was nice as hers is such a beautiful one! Also in break with tradition, Louise's parents did come to the wedding. Normally the bride's parents are not in attendance. Following tradition, Aaron's "father" figure here in Niger negotiated the bride price. After the wedding party arrived at the church, the bridesmaids danced up the aisle- very fun! It definitely portrays the joy of a wedding day more than our calm walking into the church. They stayed lining the aisle for the entire ceremony. They were standing for the processional, but when the ceremony got underway, they had chairs placed for them along the aisle. After the bridesmaids, the men entered walking sedately up the aisle rather like a bride does at a North American wedding. Here they are entering the church. Then came the beautiful bride with her sisters following her. They went up to the top of the aisle. The groom was waiting there and they sat facing the front of the church in a loveseat in the middle of the aisle until it was time for the vows. I LOVED that touch! The weddings here may be long, but they are practical!
After the choir (in the pink robes above) singing a number of songs (including a goodbye song for Louise as she had been a member for many years and is moving), the message, making sure there were no objections to the wedding (this a more relevant point here in a country where poligomy is common), the vows were said in English (This was one of the only parts of the wedding I could understand as most of it was in Haussa!), and we moved en masse outside for the reception.

It was a very nice reception. Some of Louise's friends (below) had decorated the head table to match the bridesmaids' dresses. Another friend had made the cake, and her sisters and family worked really hard on the meal. Most of us sat in chairs facing a raised area where the head table and some special guests were seated. They brought around peanuts and chin-chin (a kind of fried dough that tastes like tiny sugar cookies), then bowls of a nice rice and sauce, and bottles of local soda. After visiting with that for a while, then the cake was presented and significance explained and the couple cut the cake. There weren't as many people by this time. Apparently people aren't used to getting cake, so many didn't stay for the whole time. Of course, by then it was the afternoon and the wedding had started at 9:30, and you had to come much earlier to get a seat inside, so perhaps some were just tired as well. Loveth did a beautiful job with the cake. It was yummy too!
So there you have it! My excitement for the month of March. It was really good the kids weren't with me as they wouldn't have lasted the whole wedding. I was glad I got the chance to go, be off mom duty and my extra sleeping and reading time were nice as well.

How to start?

2009-03-29T04:05:00.000-07:00

With our new, faster internet connection a whole new world has opened up to us! Skype, blogs, surfing the web... This blog is an attempt to keep our friends and family up to date with the details of our lives. We miss you! We want to share our pictures, our fun and struggles so that our life is real to you even though it is far away. Please be patient as we go through our technology growth pains! We can't wait to connect with you!