And all the sleep transitions!

Elias has been without "passy" for over 2 weeks now.  They got old and (with the help of scissors) "broke".  He still sleeps with Monkey, though I didn't realise how hand-in-hand the two went.  So for several days, he didn't want Monkey either, as it wasn't the same without passy.  The crazy thing is how much talking the boy does.  I didn't realise all that he was thinking/processing when he laid in bed waiting to fall asleep.  Now that his mouth is "free", all that thinking is coming out.  The battle at bedtime continues, but I do feel like we're moving in the right direction.  He's threatening to drop his afternoon nap, which will be so hard if it really happens.  But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it! 

Zeke is fully weaned.  That went way easier than I anticipated.  Though with him being our last baby, I was emotional and sentimental about it all.  He's still sleeping in the living room across the way at nights.  We're still having really warm weather, so that's been helpful in getting all the sleep kinks worked out, before they are all back together.  He's dropped his morning nap, which makes the morning school day very full of life.  But it's helping his night-time sleep significantly, which makes it so worth it. 

Cuddle Cartoon time

Elli has decided that since she's almost 6 she doesn't need to nap.  Though at least twice a week she's crashes anyway.  So for an hour she's been resting in our family room listening to "Little House on the Prairie" on CD.  I'll be looking for more audiobooks soon!  That hour of Mommy time is precious!

I guess all the sleep changes are just evidence that they're growing up!

School Pics

Just some fun pictures from school.  We do quite the range of things, with activities and crafts for the preschool/kindergarten group and then world history for the Kindergarten-3rd grade group.  

Spider hats for "Itsy Bitsy Spidder."  Notice Elias' spider is cross-eyed.  Quite telling really

Zeke joins in too sometimes.  18 months, but he squeezes into his sister's hat.  We'll be shopping for adult sized stocking hats this winter. :)

 

 

 

Elli, pretty proud of all her letters!

I've planned for our Friday's to be light on the book work and heavy on the experiments/re-enactments, etc.  So this last Friday we had an Olympic Parade, complete with Laurel Crowns and torch.  Saturday, when Daddy could join us, we went to the Old Stadium for a Discus throw (Frisbee play) in honor of our Greek/Olympic unit.  

Happy Birthday Elias!

He's three and has been thoroughly celebrated!!!

If you know Elias, you know the boy loves cars.  He's been making authentic car noises since before he could talk.  And Monster Trucks are equally as exciting!  So a Monster Truck birthday it was.  

The night before the birthday, I had the idea to make a pinata.  Thus the heater in the background trying to speed the drying process.  Elias' favorite color is green, so it was a green Monster truck (though numerous people thought it was a turtle.)  Guess I won't be opening a pinata making business anytime soon!
 

Daddy stuffed and hung the pinata!

The weather is still quite warm, so the kids sat on the cot for their more American birthday snacks.  20 kids, ranging 7 months- 14 years old, attended the party.  I had a table of 7 moms and grandmas in our guesting room, but failed to get a picture.

Elias loves to be silly and is hard to catch for a photo without such a face!

A Monster truck cake!  Mommy baked and frosted it and Daddy decorated it; complete with a cookie ramp, rocks and marshmallows, chocolate dirt and 2 new monster trucks.  In the chaos of 20 children excited for cake, we failed to light candles, sing Happy Birthday or get a closer photo of the cake.  Just too much fun and life to be had!  I also failed to coach Elias' little buddy to smile for the camera! 

We played "Musical Chairs" and "toss the Lolly," but the pinata was by far the favorite game.  It's cross cultural . . . what kid doesn't want to whack something and get lots of candy!

Ready to take aim!

Did you notice Austin in every photo?  20 kids, mostly from a culture that doesn't line up and struggles to understand taking turns . . . crowd management was Austin's job.  But there was success . . . the "adult strength" pinata was busted, candy was had by everyone, and no one was hit with a bat!!! (next time I won't do as many layers of paper mache!)

We had pancakes and waffles on his actual birthday, so put candles in those instead!

Lots of wheels to celebrate this year!  Some hot wheel track and a fun ramp meant for the bathtub, though we're having fun with it on our water tank outside!

The anticipation and excitement.  I think I have a photo of Elli at every birthday, so excited for her brothers!

 

 

 

A new big boy bike!

We went for a birthday bike ride at a little park down by the lake.  Zeke enjoyed his scenic loop, checking out the cows grazing at the park! 

Elias best bud.  They're both 3 for 1 month!

The little buddies who joined us for the birthday bike ride.  It's fun to have these boys back.  Elias would tell you Nathan and Duncan are his best buddies.  We had a great time celebrating Elias.  It's hard to believe he's already three!  There's never a dull moment with him around!

Not my home

It's hard to explain how unsettled your heart can feel when you see "home" (one of a growing number of homes) on the front screen of your news browser.  I remember the same feelings in 1997, when I was a freshmen at K-State, desperately missing home.  And my daddy was volunteering for search and rescue following the US Embassy explosion in Nairobi. 

February 19th, 2008 Austin and I had a coffee date at the Java house in this mall.  I was so pregnant and so desperate for Ellianna to be born.  Our world felt desperately upside down then.  We had left our Central Asian home to deliver Ellianna.  2 days after arriving the election rioting in Nairobi began and we contemplated leaving with the masses, as my OBGYN had already fled to Italy.  But we had stayed.  She had come back.  Our CA colleagues were all hunkered down in Dubai with their own bleeding hearts, looking hard to Father and trusting his watch care and protection.  Our hearts were torn, but the incredible focus of a mother about to give birth, had me in it's grip.  After my OB appointment, Austin took me out for coffee.  At Westgate Mall.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-24188201

The same mall that is still under siege by extremists.

Just over 1 week ago another "home" popped up on the newsfeed.  A consulate attack at a five star hotel.  The one with the restaurant we reserved for those extra special date nights.  Those nights were I could slip my head covering around my shoulders and were my jeans under my knee length trench coat, and feel kinda cute! 

Austin made a passing comment, "it's crazy how many places we've been that at some point fall apart."
It is crazy.

It makes me crazy ready for a home where peace, love and security is all we know!

Remembering today, this world is not my home! 

Cause it's often felt upside down!

We started school 6 weeks ago, shortly after we came back.  It's taken us a while to get into a good rhythm, but I do think we are on our way.  Yet the reality is, most days it feels like this:

Like the globe, it has felt like each day is spinning upside down; being propped up and held together by Jesus alone.  Often in some of the most unusual ways!  (We made a paper mache globe at the start of our World History.  Globe making is much harder than one would anticipate.  I wanted to give up, but Ethan wouldn't let us.  We have a complete globe, lacking only a final coat of glue!)

On one such day, when it felt like my little world had turned upside down from how I had planned it, this is what He gave as my reminder halfway through the day:

"I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. (almost comical how fitting that is!)  But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me.  Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward - to Jesus.  I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back."  Philippians 3:12-14 MSG.  

Such a good reminder that maybe the goal of all things being right in my world, things going as I've planned, isn't really what my goal should be.

Here's some fun school pictures:  

 Elli documenting how the Egyptians (ie. Star Wars Lego figures) moved large bricks (ie: Daddy's Theology book) to make the pyramids.  Elli's half finished french braided pigtails, is fitting of many of our days. :)

 

 Working on our solar system as we study space in science this year.  We've welcomed a visitor into numerous school times, as he shows up to play and just waits around until Ethan's done.  If he's too disruptive, he is sent out to play with Elias while we finish school!

 First day of school picture: Elli in Kindergarten and Ethan in 3rd grade!  Ethan was headed to the first day of local school (thus the uniform!)

 Cheering brother on!

A heart for harvest!

Early this summer, Austin and the kids planted American sweet corn seeds at our office.  There is no such thing as sweet corn here, and being from Kansas we love and miss sweet corn.  We, the kids especially, were hopeful of a good crop of corn.  When we left for vacation in early July, the future of the harvest was uncertain.

While we enjoyed good ol' Kansas sweet corn, teammates and local friends watered our crop back home.

Our first picking was a little late, the corn was over ripe.  I don't know much about growing corn, but my "farm boy" husband advised me that it didn't pollinate well either.  But from the excitement of our family, and the way we downed it at dinner time, you would not have known anything to be lacking.

Zeke's naps were all messed up on this day and he was exhausted.  But he was determined to enjoy every last bit! (I hope you can get the video.  YouTube continues to be a "hit and miss" thing here, so I gave it a valiant effort, in hopes you'd get some good chuckles from it!)

 

Saturday, Austin and the 3 big kids picked the rest of the crop and cleared out all the stalks.  I did the research at home on blanching and freezing corn on the cob, because the family vote was to save the corn to share at our team Thanksgiving feast.   


It all seems fitting.  My heart has been heavy for a harvest.  A harvest of hearts.  To continue to live among hard hearted people who care nothing for what I love the most, grows wearisome.  As I boiled the first batch of corn, Father impressed on my heart to ask for a "transplanted harvest."  A community of His people is not the norm here, but really as "strangers and foreigners" we aren't supposed to be the norm anywhere.  The harvest may not look as I envision; there may be gaps and small ears and parts that show poor pollination.  But isn't that how He works; "taking the foolish things to shame the wise."  My heart, my character, still shows areas of lacking.  That is why His continued work of transformation in me is so sweet.  But the feast, where we all sit together and celebrate His harvest in and around us, that will be a sweet day.  I guess much like a Thanksgiving feast.  Ask with me that He would add to our number around that table!

Lots of celebrating!!!

Over the last couple weeks we've had several celebrations in our home.  There is so much to be thankful for . . . isn't it worth celebrating!  Though the effort of celebrations sometimes does dishwade me, I'm always glad I took the time, gave the energy and committed to celebrating.  The act of celebrating is an act of gratitude.  Really it is worship, as we celebrate the One who has given such good gifts; who has faithfully brought us this far!

In cultural form, we celebrated the finishing of first grade, and a little early birthday celebration, with some of Ethan's buddies and Osh. 

 

Elli was thrilled to have a little girl from Ethan's class come.  They painted finger nails and played on the pink scooter, before joining in on the water gun fight.  It's fun to watch Elli grow more and more confident in language and culture interaction, even when Ethan's not around!

Ethan's best friend at school!

Can you read the hat?  In English: "I'm Muslim." 

Celebrating the countdown until we get on the plane.  The anticipation itself has been so much fun.  And the family and friend time . . . less than a week now, and we can't wait!

The celebration of growing bigger and a new bike.  He was riding his other bike with his legs out to the side of the handle bars . . . the kid keeps growing.  Elli is also excited, as she inherits Ethan's old red bike.  She's already removed the stickers and is calling it a Strawberry Shortcake Bike.  It's all in the perspective!

 And an early birthday camp out with his best buds!  Even though they DESPERATELY wanted to, the little siblings didn't sleep in the tent that night.  Poor Ethan didn't sleep the whole night out there either; as he started throwing up with a stomach bug halfway through. 
 

Enjoying water guns sent by Gogo.  We saved them for end of school/birthday celebrations!

 

Enjoying smores!  Elias is giving a tasty review for Zeke, who didn't get to sample one.  

Fun special treats!

Friday several women friends came for a pizza party.  They came to celebrate with me the opportunity to travel and see my family.  They'll be back to celebrate my return, hear a full report and see pictures.  Though the timing wasn't ideal, I'm so grateful to have sweet friends who want to be a part of my life!