Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Sunday, July 09, 2006
An update
Every time I have spoken with Randy and friends today, there has been a lot of laughter in the background! I am so eager to be a part of it all myself!! They have had a great day and are planning to arrive here in Aplahoue around 4 PM tomorrow.
Tori is having a blast showing the Bailey girls around Cotonou.
She told me that she stayed up until midnight last night and she hasn’t even been tired a bit!!
On another note, several of you have asked me how Randy is doing with his malaria. He finished all of his medication and has no remaining symptoms. I asked him this morning how he felt and he said, “I think I feel normal!” (:
Timothy, Jonathan and Lael are all doing well. We have enjoyed a good Sunday together.
Hopefully we will have some fun pictures to post tomorrow. Until then……….May you be abundantly blessed this day!
Tori is having a blast showing the Bailey girls around Cotonou.
She told me that she stayed up until midnight last night and she hasn’t even been tired a bit!!
On another note, several of you have asked me how Randy is doing with his malaria. He finished all of his medication and has no remaining symptoms. I asked him this morning how he felt and he said, “I think I feel normal!” (:
Timothy, Jonathan and Lael are all doing well. We have enjoyed a good Sunday together.
Hopefully we will have some fun pictures to post tomorrow. Until then……….May you be abundantly blessed this day!
Saturday, July 08, 2006
The Greg Bailey family is in Benin!
The Baileys have arrived and all ten of their bags along with them! Thank you Lord!
Randy just called and I got to speak with Greg and Melanie! They sound great. The trip has been smooth and their girls have been great troopers.
It was great to hear their voices! I am so excited that they are here. I feel a great anticipation about our time together. I am expecting sweet blessings and memories being made.
Can you imagine how excited Tori is to have their 3 girls here? She has been studying their picture for the last 2 weeks. Melanie told me tonight that when they came through customs that Tori came running towards the girls and gave them all a big hug. I loved hearing that!
Not sure if they are returning to Aplahoue Sunday or Monday. We will be eagerly awaiting their arrival here! Keep checking back!
Randy just called and I got to speak with Greg and Melanie! They sound great. The trip has been smooth and their girls have been great troopers.
It was great to hear their voices! I am so excited that they are here. I feel a great anticipation about our time together. I am expecting sweet blessings and memories being made.
Can you imagine how excited Tori is to have their 3 girls here? She has been studying their picture for the last 2 weeks. Melanie told me tonight that when they came through customs that Tori came running towards the girls and gave them all a big hug. I loved hearing that!
Not sure if they are returning to Aplahoue Sunday or Monday. We will be eagerly awaiting their arrival here! Keep checking back!
Friday, July 07, 2006
Back together!
Our family was reunited yesterday afternoon and it is great to be back together. It was especially fun to see how the kids were excited to see one another. Tomorrow Randy and Tori leave again to go to Cotonou to pick up the Bailey family who arrive on Saturday night. They will be staying with us for 2 weeks and we are so excited! The Baileys are our former team mates as well. They arrived in Benin 10 years ago this past month in June of 1996. They served and honored the Lord well here for 4 years and have many special friends who are eagerly anticipating their arrival. There are also many people in the Kingdom because of the Baileys willing heart to come to Benin and spread the news of salvation found in Jesus Christ. Greg and Melanie have 3 girls, Jessica Grace, Faith, and Hope. Stay tuned this week for pictures of their family!
Okay I have a little story of something that happened while Randy was gone! Who knows how this story might have been different had he in fact been here!
For several days I had been noticing that there was a mouse in our house. Believe it or not this is not a regular problem. For 2 days we had set a mouse trap in the kitchen, the first night with cheese and the second night with peanut butter. All we had attracted were ants. The mouse was obviously still around but was not tempted by our American mouse cuisine. On Wednesday night before Sossa left, I asked him to set the trap. He set the trap with a small fish that he had heated up so that it had a nice fish scent….nice as in the mouse would think that it smelled nice. Sossa then went home for the night. Jonathan and Lael were soon asleep. Around 10PM that night the power went off. And of course J and L woke up. Thankfully around 30 minutes later when the power had not returned, Sossa returned to our house to start up the generator for me. Just as he left and I was returning Jonathan to his bed, I heard the mouse trap snap. However, I then began to hear a lot of noise in the kitchen. I walked up to the kitchen somewhat hesitantly only to find that the trap had caught the mouse, but only one foot. The mouse very much alive and no where near death was running frantically all over with the trap attached to his one foot. It appeared to me that he was latching on to the legs of the kitchen table with one leg trying to pry off the trap with the force of his body. Could a mouse be so smart? When he saw me he immediately began looking for another source for help. I was beginning to feel a small panic about what I was going to do. I got a broom thinking I would somehow know what to do with it but my courage failed me.
I then had the great idea to ask our dogs for help. Our dogs have been such a blessing to us in the years that we have been here, alerting us to snakes, scorpions, strangers, and using their overall energy to protect our family! We think they are Super Dogs! What I was about to ask was really just a small favor compared to some of the things they have done for us before.:)
I opened the front door and called out for them. They immediately came to the door but refused to come in. When Booker was a puppy we had trained him to stay outside and he has never once come in the house in 6 years. Now with an open invitation before him, it was like there was an invisible wall. He wanted to come in but his body would not let him do it. Sparkle actually took a few steps in and Booker pulled her back. They were barking like crazy and the mouse was flipping all around the living room behind me. He had now worked his way under the couch. I reached down and picked Booker up and brought him in the house. He couldn’t believe it but he went straight to work. He began to sniff the trail. When he got to the couch, I lifted it up and he immediately pulled the mouse from the trap with his mouth and turned around and pranced out the door! I was so relieved and so proud of Booker. And I had no one to share it with! It was hard to settle down after such excitement. Fortunately it was just a few minutes later when my mom just happened to call! I had fun replaying the story for her. She mentioned that it might be fun to share it here as well.
Okay I have a little story of something that happened while Randy was gone! Who knows how this story might have been different had he in fact been here!
For several days I had been noticing that there was a mouse in our house. Believe it or not this is not a regular problem. For 2 days we had set a mouse trap in the kitchen, the first night with cheese and the second night with peanut butter. All we had attracted were ants. The mouse was obviously still around but was not tempted by our American mouse cuisine. On Wednesday night before Sossa left, I asked him to set the trap. He set the trap with a small fish that he had heated up so that it had a nice fish scent….nice as in the mouse would think that it smelled nice. Sossa then went home for the night. Jonathan and Lael were soon asleep. Around 10PM that night the power went off. And of course J and L woke up. Thankfully around 30 minutes later when the power had not returned, Sossa returned to our house to start up the generator for me. Just as he left and I was returning Jonathan to his bed, I heard the mouse trap snap. However, I then began to hear a lot of noise in the kitchen. I walked up to the kitchen somewhat hesitantly only to find that the trap had caught the mouse, but only one foot. The mouse very much alive and no where near death was running frantically all over with the trap attached to his one foot. It appeared to me that he was latching on to the legs of the kitchen table with one leg trying to pry off the trap with the force of his body. Could a mouse be so smart? When he saw me he immediately began looking for another source for help. I was beginning to feel a small panic about what I was going to do. I got a broom thinking I would somehow know what to do with it but my courage failed me.
I then had the great idea to ask our dogs for help. Our dogs have been such a blessing to us in the years that we have been here, alerting us to snakes, scorpions, strangers, and using their overall energy to protect our family! We think they are Super Dogs! What I was about to ask was really just a small favor compared to some of the things they have done for us before.:)
I opened the front door and called out for them. They immediately came to the door but refused to come in. When Booker was a puppy we had trained him to stay outside and he has never once come in the house in 6 years. Now with an open invitation before him, it was like there was an invisible wall. He wanted to come in but his body would not let him do it. Sparkle actually took a few steps in and Booker pulled her back. They were barking like crazy and the mouse was flipping all around the living room behind me. He had now worked his way under the couch. I reached down and picked Booker up and brought him in the house. He couldn’t believe it but he went straight to work. He began to sniff the trail. When he got to the couch, I lifted it up and he immediately pulled the mouse from the trap with his mouth and turned around and pranced out the door! I was so relieved and so proud of Booker. And I had no one to share it with! It was hard to settle down after such excitement. Fortunately it was just a few minutes later when my mom just happened to call! I had fun replaying the story for her. She mentioned that it might be fun to share it here as well.
This morning Tori was outside playing with her friends. She became aware that one of her friends was sick and she was concerned for him. She came in to get some water and snacks to share with everybody and said, "I have been praying for Jacky in my mind all morning but I really think that all of the kids should pray for him. I said why don't you all pray for him before you eat your snacks? She said they will all just mumble, they won't really pray and I don't understand why they do that. I said, they are doing that because they do not believe that God is a real person they are talking too. I suggested to her that she show them how to pray like God is real. Tori did not want me to watch so I hid behind the bushes like a good mom!!! I heard her explain what they were going to do. She said I am going to pray first and then I am going to call on a few of you to pray. And we all have to hold hands!
While Randy and Tori and Timo were at the beach I had the absolute delight of being here with these two precious kids. Here they are early in the morning eating their cheerios, drinking water and watching their PraiseBaby DVDs which they love! I am a blessed mommy. These 2 fill my heart with so much love.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Happy 4th of July!
Our family loves America! We are proud to be Americans. We love our President and we support our troops! We are thankful for the honor of representing our country in another part of the world and it is with joy and pride that we celebrate this day of our American Independence. Thanks to Donny and Kendra Vaughn we have all enjoyed the fun experience of wearing a new shirt today too!!!
It is very fun for us to imagine that next year we will be celebrating this day in America! There is always some fun gathering with family and friends and you can always count on finding a great fireworks show. We miss that.
We had grand plans for our day and although it has been a good day, things have unfolded differently than originally intended. The first plan was for us all to go to the beach for two nights. However, Randy and I have both been struggling with fatigue in a way that it is hard to put into words. In order to pack up our entire family for the beach for 2 days and then unpack our entire family when we return on Thursday, (and take care of everybody away from our own home in between) we decided that it was just too much. I am still needing a lot of rest and Randy has come down with a light case (if there is truly such a thing) of malaria. So, what we did was take half of our family to the beach and leave half our family at home. Randy and Tori and Timo and Mr. Jim are at the beach and I am here at the house with Jonathan and Lael. I actually was able to join them for lunch but then I returned home to Aplahoue. Not exactly ideal, but we think it makes the best sense for our particular set of circumstances. We will all be back together again on Thursday evening and in between we can be in touch often by cell phone!
Happy Fourth of July!
It is very fun for us to imagine that next year we will be celebrating this day in America! There is always some fun gathering with family and friends and you can always count on finding a great fireworks show. We miss that.
We had grand plans for our day and although it has been a good day, things have unfolded differently than originally intended. The first plan was for us all to go to the beach for two nights. However, Randy and I have both been struggling with fatigue in a way that it is hard to put into words. In order to pack up our entire family for the beach for 2 days and then unpack our entire family when we return on Thursday, (and take care of everybody away from our own home in between) we decided that it was just too much. I am still needing a lot of rest and Randy has come down with a light case (if there is truly such a thing) of malaria. So, what we did was take half of our family to the beach and leave half our family at home. Randy and Tori and Timo and Mr. Jim are at the beach and I am here at the house with Jonathan and Lael. I actually was able to join them for lunch but then I returned home to Aplahoue. Not exactly ideal, but we think it makes the best sense for our particular set of circumstances. We will all be back together again on Thursday evening and in between we can be in touch often by cell phone!
Happy Fourth of July!
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Final Day of First Grade
Saturday was the final day of First Grade. We spent the morning finishing up our work books and cleaning out our desks and talking about the things that Tori enjoyed most about her First grade year. Saturday afternoon when Jonathan and Lael were down for their naps we had an end of the year party and awards ceremony. We invited Daddy, Timo, and Mr. Jim who is here for a visit.
At the party Daddy had a chance to review and admire some of Tori’s best work from the past year. She then wanted him to see the picture that she had drawn of her favorite things from First Grade. Tori said that she loved studying about the history of America (so she had drawn a flag) and she loved her Bible lessons. She also drew a picture of her favorite Indian Squanto. You will also notice in the picture who she listed as her favorite substitute! (Great job Mom! You made quite the impression)
When it was time for Tori’s award ceremony, I had her sit at her desk and I said I had some important things to say to her in front of everyone else…this was a priceless moment for me as her teacher and her mother. I could tell she was so excited to hear whatever I had to say. Her first award was for the best laugh in the first grade. She is always able to make her teacher laugh! She came up to receive her award with a laugh and sat back down. I then mentioned there was another reward and I could literally tell that her heart was beating fast wondering what could be next and would she be the one to receive it!! The next award was given to the best artist in the first grade, Tori Vaughn! Tori can draw anything, any time!! She again received this award with so much pride and the sweetest smile! Again, I said, we have one more award that goes to a very special girl! This girl has a special gift for making friends. Wherever she is, she can find a friend. She is kind, thoughtful, a lot of fun and knows how to make people feel special. She has friends in America and she has friends in Benin. This girl always asks her teacher if her school work will be done in time to play with her friends…and when she is done, her friends are always outside calling her name waiting on her to come and play! This award goes to the best friend in the First Grade, Tori Vaughn!!! I thought she was going to bust she was so excited!!! After these awards, she received her diploma for finishing all of her first grade curriculum. I am so proud of this precious girl!
After our award ceremony, our Room Dad brought in cupcakes and bottles of water for everyone! It has been a great year and we are excited about a break.
Later when we were cleaning up, we were talking about how we might change the room around to look different for second grade. We were looking through some of the new things for next year and Tori said, “You know Mom, I am really looking forward to second grade!” Me too Tori!!!!
CLICK ON PICTURES BELOW TO SEE LARGER IMAGES
At the party Daddy had a chance to review and admire some of Tori’s best work from the past year. She then wanted him to see the picture that she had drawn of her favorite things from First Grade. Tori said that she loved studying about the history of America (so she had drawn a flag) and she loved her Bible lessons. She also drew a picture of her favorite Indian Squanto. You will also notice in the picture who she listed as her favorite substitute! (Great job Mom! You made quite the impression)
When it was time for Tori’s award ceremony, I had her sit at her desk and I said I had some important things to say to her in front of everyone else…this was a priceless moment for me as her teacher and her mother. I could tell she was so excited to hear whatever I had to say. Her first award was for the best laugh in the first grade. She is always able to make her teacher laugh! She came up to receive her award with a laugh and sat back down. I then mentioned there was another reward and I could literally tell that her heart was beating fast wondering what could be next and would she be the one to receive it!! The next award was given to the best artist in the first grade, Tori Vaughn! Tori can draw anything, any time!! She again received this award with so much pride and the sweetest smile! Again, I said, we have one more award that goes to a very special girl! This girl has a special gift for making friends. Wherever she is, she can find a friend. She is kind, thoughtful, a lot of fun and knows how to make people feel special. She has friends in America and she has friends in Benin. This girl always asks her teacher if her school work will be done in time to play with her friends…and when she is done, her friends are always outside calling her name waiting on her to come and play! This award goes to the best friend in the First Grade, Tori Vaughn!!! I thought she was going to bust she was so excited!!! After these awards, she received her diploma for finishing all of her first grade curriculum. I am so proud of this precious girl!
After our award ceremony, our Room Dad brought in cupcakes and bottles of water for everyone! It has been a great year and we are excited about a break.
Later when we were cleaning up, we were talking about how we might change the room around to look different for second grade. We were looking through some of the new things for next year and Tori said, “You know Mom, I am really looking forward to second grade!” Me too Tori!!!!
CLICK ON PICTURES BELOW TO SEE LARGER IMAGES
Tori and Lael
Saturday morning Tori said that she wanted to get Lael up and dress her, herself! Tori picked out her clothes and decided that today was the day for Lael to start wearing socks and shoes. When Timothy saw Lael in shoes, he said for some reason, "Does this mean that Lael is going to dance for us?" Tori thought that was a good idea too. She put in her Disney Princess CD and hit the dance floor with Lael. Everyone in the room was enjoying the experience.
These pictures really highlight Lael's growth spurt! She will be one year old in 2 weeks!
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