Top 10

For the last few years on New Year's Eve, Todd and I have made a "Top 10 Most Memorable Moments" for the previous year. They're usually enjoyable memories, but not always (Bertha, my very first car dying made it one year). This year, we decided to share. Personally, I'm very thankful we didn't have to use a 'memorable moment' on the birth of a child but that's more my waistline talking than anything else I suppose. So, in no particular order....

RAINBOW (and vacation) AT MDUMBI BEACH

EMMERSON SAYING HER FIRST BIBLE VERSE (here)

BLYDE RIVER CANYON WITH GRAMMY AND POPPY

COOPER LEARNING TO WALK AND TALK

EM'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

ANSWERS TO PRAYER (like renters for our house) AND GIFTS FROM COLLEGE CHURCH

STARTING LITTLE HEARTS (2-5 year olds) PROGRAM AT CHURCH

BILL AND CONNIE PATRICK'S VISIT

WORLD CUP AND THE VUVUZELAS

SKYPING WITH THE DRIFFILL CLAN, ESPECIALLY GREAT-GRAMMY AND GRAMPY

(Last time Em was able to SEE GG and Grampy)

Merry Christmas!

Just a few quick pictures to share with you all. Merry Christmas!!!!

Project Christmas: Day 24

Tomorrow is Christmas!!! Wahoo!!! Well, today, we did what we are beginning to believe is "our" Christmas tradition. We're pretty sure we can't guarantee all traditions during the festive season will change, but we feel these are easily moved and ones our kids can take with them. So we started off with a "just family" Christmas dinner. It was my first (unsupervised) and so we kept it simple, just the things that are essential and I know how to cook: ham, rolls, potatoes, and green bean casserole. In years to come, I'll probably add to the menu and my table settings will be more 'grown up', but for now, it was perfect. Made some amazing green bean casserole from scratch (had to cut my own beans and all) except for the French's fried onions and I was so proud of myself.

We then shoved our stuffed selves into our swimming apparel and headed down to the pool for the Christmas Eve swim. It was perfect. The sun was shining, the water was JUST right, kids were happy. Couldn't have asked for a better time spent together.

Em is learning how to kick her feet and she is in LOVE with splashing people when she does it.

Cooper is daring to "choo-choo" like a train around the edge of the pool. I always enjoy the few moments when he's timid... they're so few and far between.

Then we came back for naps (kids) and dessert (adults). And when all was said and done for the day, we opened our Christmas Eve presents: new pajamas. Yes, this is the same material I used for Em's 2nd birthday dress, but it's as close to Christmas-y as I could get and I really liked the flannel, even in the 1,000 degree heat. We read our story, and Daddy read the Christmas story, then it was off to bed. Em and Coop are still rather clueless about Santa Claus/Father Christmas/St. Nick and the whole present concept. We're actually rather happy about that because we know that means we won't be woken up at 5am to shouts of, "Santa came!" So here's to hoping that you enjoyed your last day before Christmas as much as we did, and from here in South Africa, "happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!"

Carols By Candlelight

In the U.S. many people (and churches) have the tradition of attending a service in which carols are sung and each participant is given a small candle that is held for the duration of the event. I remember as a girl itching with anticipation to wear my new Christmas dress and get to hold an actual lit object with a funny little paper base to keep the hot wax from my hands. I LOVED these services- people all dressed up and going out to sing their hearts out. What's not to love about that?

Here in South Africa, it seems like everyone has a 'carols by candlelight' service: the national botanical gardens, the nature reserve, the zoo, the mall and all the churches. There are so many to choose from, AND some begin as early as the end of November, that you can go to literally dozens of services throughout the festive season. Todd and I have decided that we would attend those events which we really care about. Our church just had their service and the kids' program was truly impressive. We also went to the market we really enjoy. Last year we went and realized that we were grossly underprepared. This year, I had the food ready, kids packed and then... it started to rain. We went anyways and had a lot of fun. Well... I had a blast, Em loved jumping in the water in her rubber froggy boots, Cooper loved dancing to the music and Todd enjoyed the coffee. I think we all had fun at some point, but rain at an outdoor venue isn't the most optimal option. Not to mention the lack of candles!!!

The umbrellas did make for some great colors.

Yeah, Em and I were having a fat-cheek day... like mother, like daughter!

The boys looked so festive in their camo and red and green :)

Christmas-time Laughter

There are a few things that always solicit a laugh from my husband. The holiday season, however, seems to just teem with opportunities for him to laugh at me. It cracks him up that I get so excited to decorate and he laughs at my incessant playing of Christmas music (which I'm thankful he doesn't get angry at!) and best of all, when I tell him what I purchase for presents, he will inevitably have a hearty laugh at my expense.

It didn't used to be an issue since we didn't buy presents for each other, but once Em came along, we had the "what is your version of Christmas look like for the family" conversation. He seemed to like the homemade, few presents and loads of tradition version, so we've stuck with it. I was wrapping the kids' gifts this afternoon and stuffing stockings (Em still thinks Santa Clause is Noah from her Bible stories, so I'm not too concerned about letting her see things before Christmas). Todd walked into the room and almost fell over laughing.

Yes. Those are kitchen utensils sticking out of the kids stockings. No, it wasn't an accident. The kids love playing with them as I cook dinner and have managed to break a number of my utensils. I decided that since they were needed anyways, might as well throw them in there. I tried to explain this to my still-laughing husband, who then just laughed even harder at me.

He was just about recovered from his laughing fit, when Todd realized that I was also wrapping some cups and plates. My explanation that they're little kids, they need them, and what are Grandmas and Grandpas for but to spoil grandchildren (which they do liberally) just brought another round of laughter and the exclamation: "I love you Babe!" Pretty sure that translated, that phrase meant a whole lot more than just a simple "I love you" but I'll let sleeping dogs lie.

I was also busy wrapping our Christmas books. When I was a teacher's aid back in high school, one year for Christmas the teacher I worked for gave me a Christmas book. She told me I'd make a great teacher some day, and to start collecting books now. I remember the kids enjoying everything to do with the festive season, and I have cherished that book for years. Then, when Em's first Christmas rolled around, her godparents gave her the book/illustrated poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.

I've been waiting for the time when she was old enough to read it (we've tried each year before now, but the attention span was a bit too short). We've gotten a few other books to add to the "Christmas collection" and will read one book a night, starting tonight, until we get to this one on Christmas Eve. I'm hoping that as the kids get older, our collection will grow with their ability to anticipate Christmas. For now, though, it's nice to have a few good books to visually represent how many days are left before Christmas to help the kids. I know. I'm a total teacher-nerd, but that's okay with me... just like getting a plastic ladle in a stocking will be okay with my kids!!!

Watermelon Slide

I often sit back and laugh at my children. Maybe I'm too tired or lazy to correct them, but honestly, I think it's because they're too funny to BE corrected! We had just such an moment after dinner and instead of worrying about choking hazards or the kids eating too much dirt, I ran and grabbed the camera. You see, in this family, treats or dessert often come in the form of frozen fruit popsicles or fresh fruit. This particular evening, it was watermelon and both kids ate it like they would never see the juicy fruit for the rest of their lives. I'm not sure when, but at some point, they both also realized that we were in the back yard and thus, there was a slide available to them.

I think Cooper liked the watermelon better after a few dips in the dirt.

Yes, this is Em's hair (after her nap) and boy was she proud every time we chuckled abou it looking like Pebbles from The Flintstones.

The slide (and the kids for that matter) was so sticky from their grubby hands and watermelon juice that I had to hose it off, but they had such a great time, I didn't mind.

Temper Tantrum

I was recently sharing, heart-to-heart, with my small group about how God and I are not really speaking right now... we're more in a screaming match, which made a few people in the group laugh. I'm pretty sure they were laughing because, like me, they know God doesn't scream back when we yell. He more... allows the tantrum to fizzle out and then calmly explains.

That's very true, but I was still mad and (as one friend put it) "throwing my toys out of the cot." I was angry and yelling because I was hurt. It's that time of year. There are certain times when (if you've moved away from family and friends you can relate to this) you just miss home. I miss it more than I ever thought I would and Boo seems to be dead-set on making me cry at least 3 times a week, which is another frustration unto it's own. But it's the holidays. People are posting pictures on Facebook of heaps and heaps of boots by their front door and snow-covered landscapes out their kitchen windows and toddlers enjoying the snow. It makes me miss the sights and smells of Christmas at home, just like whenever the kids' birthdays roll around, I miss being able to have the voices of family members singing "Happy Birthday" with all our friends here. I was hurting that this is one more Christmas without. Without my Grams and Gramps or brothers and sisters or cousins and aunts and uncles and all the rest around and frustrated that (this may sound really petty, but it's the truth) the first Sunday of the Advent season we didn't light a candle. There were no Christmas songs sung. In fact, I was pretty sure I was going to melt into my pew like butter in the hot sun. Basically, I was having a small pity-party that certain things didn't LOOK or FEEL like they would back home... I was even yelling about the lack of annoying bell-ringers outside every store. Logically, though, why would they? I'm living in South Africa where things are different. Sometimes, though, when you're homesick and pregnant, logical isn't your first reaction.

So I'm sharing with dear friends this struggle that I'm not willing to give up, even though I know I'm wrong. I shared how I just desperately missed being in church where I knew everyone and things were safe and comfortable. We picked our church here because the worship leader, the pastor and the people were all so warm and friendly and welcoming. It's a real, honest-to-goodness, community of families. Problem is, we still don't know all the families and when we're praying for Sister Suzie's grandson Kevin who is sick, everyone else seems to deeply feel this need, and we're not sure who Suzie is and are pretty sure we've never met Kevin. I feel those moments deeply because I used to know all the Sister Suzie's and which of her kids was the parent to Kevin. I understand that, in time, we'll learn all those connections and be there to celebrate marriages and births and graduations with the best of them and we'll also be there to share in times of need and deep hurt. But again, I was already mad and missing family, so my anger then sort of vomited over into everything else. Ever have one of those moments where you can't really sort out what you're upset about or where it's coming from, but you KNOW, for sure and for certain, that you're upset and it spreads onto every aspect of your life until you're mad about the color of your hair and the way the rain is falling?

But God was faithful, even in my fit. I received a few key emails and comments from people that just made me remember that we're gone, but not forgotten. And then, church on Sunday was Thanksgiving Sunday. It's a time here for everyone to remember what they have to be thankful for and a large offering is taken as a demonstration of that thankfulness. As part of the service, the church brought up the three couples who work for the Church of the Nazarene at the Africa Regional Office. There was also a special song sung for us and those who teach or work or volunteer in the church. For most people in the States, it's an older song that has passed it's prime. I haven't heard it in a good number of years, but it really spoke to me. It's that one where the verses talk about a Sunday School teacher who led a child to the Lord at eight, and who gave money, even when there was none to give, to the missionary speaking at church. The chorus says, "Thank you for giving to the Lord. I have a life, that was changed. Thank you, for giving to the Lord. I'm so glad you gave."

I remember the first time I heard that song sung. Tim Hanson, who (among so many other things) taught a group of unruly and often obnoxious 11-14 year-olds. He had a daughter, just my age and we'd grown up together in church. He sang that song, and choked up in the middle. I remember as a kid, not understanding why he got so emotional. But standing there, as the song was once again being sung into my life, I thought back to all the Mr. Tims and Diana Coxs and Susan Bertlesons and Stacey Youngs and Olive Thomas and Orvell Easilys and Connie Patricks who helped shape me. The Sunday School teacher or piano teacher or older lady in church who saw I could use a lunch-date and conversation with someone I didn't really know up until then. The people who gave of their life, for reasons beyond me, when they really didn't have to because I wasn't "their" kid. The ones who got me here, in South Africa, where I was throwing a tantrum over selfishly wanting to be with MY family in MY state with MY holiday food. It was really humbling to realize, now that I have my own kids whose lives are being so molded and shaped by teachers and friends, how much of a sacrifice those people made in my life... how much they gave so that I could be strong enough to say, "Here I am Lord, send me" when I was asked.

I'm not saying I'll never be homesick again. I will. But I am saying that right now, I'm so thankful for people who demonstrated enough love and compassion and grace that when I needed to physically SEE what it looks like to get over my own selfishness, I had so, so many examples to pull from.

Toe Nails

This post is going to be a little different. First, this slice of daily life is brought to you by Todd. Second, the following was never intended for a mass audience, but with some persuasion, Brittany has allowed me to share a little bit of her day. Below you will find a quickly typed, emotionally driven, desperate need for venting from a (pregnant) mother who was trying to survive her daughter's first day of Christmas vacation. Enjoy.

"Some days, she makes me want to string her up by her toe nails!!! You tell her to hurry because you must do x, y and z and you don't have much time because she's been playing around doing a,b, and c... so she drags her feet, smiles at you because she thinks it's so cute and then trips over the ground and wants to wail at the top of her lungs when it's her own fault for not listening in the first place! And then, after the meeting, in which she got two time-outs (and needed about half a dozen more) I asked her why she didn't listen and she very matter-of-factly told me, "Cause you're not Teacher. You're just Mommy." Shoot me now... if this is was TWO looks like... Some days YOUR daughter is worse than those dumb bamboo shoots being shoved under your finger nails!"

Boo: Half-Baked

I can say in all honesty, before having kids, I dreamt of the day I'd get this cute little "baby bump" and get to wear maternity clothing. Then I got pregnant and was horrified at how fast my vanity took over (previously I did have a flat stomach, which I found out the hard way I was rather attached to). I actually think my mother-in-law had to sneak a profile picture in Wal-Mart at one point because I was such a terror about not letting anyone document my mass.

With Cooper, I was just thrilled to not be gaining weight EVERYWHERE like I did with Em. I had this basketball under my shirt and I thought I was doing something right. Now, I'm recanting my efforts in that venture and am of the opinion that some people just carry certain kids better than others. Boo seems to be following in the path of her/his sister. I hate to admit that everything seems to be getting bigger, faster than ever before, but reality is harsh sometimes. At least my favorite top (gracia Aunt Nancy!!!) still fits, but just barely. I'm dreading having to go back to pants that don't have zippers and tops that have more elastic capabilities than an ice skater's costume, but I know it's coming... actually, mostly here already but not full-time, at least not yet.

So, here's Boo, in all her/his glory. I might have been sucking in, just a little, in this photo, but I doubt anyone will fault me. Especially since sucking in makes me feel smaller, but really only turns my face a bit blue. :)

Project Christmas: Day 1

What do you do with two rather large unplanted trees and a bunch of vegetable seedlings in egg cartons? Plant them of course, and that's exactly what we did today. It was rather comical as the kids were all about helping out, which looks more like destroying things that have been done, but they were so cute doing it that we didn't seem to notice much.

"Dad, I know you told me where to put this dirt, but now I can't remember. A little help please? Thanks."

Dad: "Cooper - Emmerson, the dirt stays inside the hole!"

Cooper/Emmerson: "What do you mean? We're digging the hole right now. Just wait, it will be a masterpiece! "

"Not sure what I'm eating, but I think it tastes nice... hope Mom doesn't catch me ruining my appetite!"

Once Em got bored with helping, she discovered the cement ring, which we had to take out in the planting process, and decided it was ideal to play "ring around the rosie"... by herself.

Evening in the Garden

Its warming up around here, which means strawberry-lemonade after dinner in the backyard (at least while the lemonade and strawberries last!). We enjoy being back there with the dog harassing everyone to throw her a ball one more time and the kids begging for one more sip of your drink. This evening was no exception and while Todd was over showing Em how to water all the plants by herself, Cooper learned how to climb the slide all by himself. It was one of those moments where I'm telling Todd to look at his son and he's telling me to look at my daughter because we're both in awe of how independent and "grown up" our kids have become, seemingly overnight.

No, we do not beat our son or let him bleed without taking care of it. He has an affinity for wearing his strawberries on his face, and by the evening when it's almost bath-time anyways, I generally give up. Even with a strawberry-shiner, he's still so cute in all his slide-induced excitement.

That is one happy camper if you ask me!

I don't think you'll find a more elated child... and a more soaking wet dad than at the moment this picture was taken! Guess she couldn't manage to keep the hose pointed down at the plant... oops!!!

Romans 8:28

As a teacher I know that all kids can learn; however, as a teacher of somewhat older students, my children have been amazing me since the day they were born. I never have really liked the 'little tikes" in terms of teaching them, but I'm beginning to see that I am actually just afraid, and ironically, the degree of my fear seems to be in direct proportion to their height. That said, God has seen fit to put me in charge of teaching in many different capacities to small children over the years at various churches. Our church here in Eldorado Park asked Todd and I to work out a curriculum and I must admit that it terrified me. But the reality is, my daughter can now say 4 versus, sing a host of songs (with motions), AND she just turned 2 1/2!

Turkey Day

In recent weeks there have been a number of questions about what it's like to be here in South Africa during the holidays. We were talking over the dinner table about all the things that are nice and some of the things we miss. We all agreed that it's nice to have warm enough weather that you're not stuck in the house smelling all the wonderful goodies all day, but unable to eat them. We all also agreed that treats like puppy chow and Chex mix were sorely missed. Beyond that though, we strive to have a Thanksgiving meal just like home. Our table had two dozen people with all the fixings and more pie than anyone was able to eat. We ate, went back for seconds... and thirds... and more.
Cooper, who is currently cutting two teeth (although if he's like Em, who cut 12 in a month, I think more) couldn't make it all the way through to dessert. He snuggled into Aunt Niece's arms and that was the end of that. It was cute and sweet... until she had to pry the sweaty, drooly little body off her shirt. Then, it was just funny!

Earlier in the day, before all the gorging commenced, we tried to get some cute pictures of the kids in their Christmas outfits. I thought it would be nice to take a picture and send them to family since Christmas cards have never been my strong suit. As I said, we tried. And then this little disaster happened and that was the end of all attention given to Mommy and Daddy.

Sunday at the Pool

Sunday afternoons are the best times around here. Both kids nap at the same time, and if that wasn't blessing enough, it is always for a few hours. They also normally wake up with enough sunlight left to do something fun, like play in the backyard or go to the pool. During the week, these activities happen as well, but it's much more relaxing for me, and much more enjoyable for the kids, to have Dad around.

Em has been able to "choo-choo" on the side of the pool as a drowning-prevention method since she was bitty, but now she does it just for the sheer fun of it.

Cooper LOVES the water and tries to drain the pool every time he goes in by drinking the water. That's why we try to keep his mouth out of the water as much as possible.

I don't think he minds very much though, do you?

We even snagged a family photo! I felt so accomplished (even if Cooper looks like he's trying to figure out some complicated problem... like why there's a camera AND he can still see Mommy).

Decorating Day!

I personally think there is no other time in a relationship when you realize how different your view during the first little bit of marriage can be from your spouse's than when you go to "celebrate." Birthday, holidays... they're just stark reminders that you come from different families who value different things. I don't remember what the difference between dating and marriage was, but there was a distinct difference. Most of the differences are comical (your family does what?!) but others are just down-right heart-rending for some. I'm a big traditional-kind-of-girl. We always had more ornaments than the tree could hold, and in truth, that's how you know the decorating is done: when the ornament you just hung falls off, time and again, you're done. My mom has decorations dating back over a century, which include the veritable army of nutcrackers my Nana collected for years and years. They still freak out the dog, but I'm sure one day she'll get used to it.

Needless to say, the house I grew up in was steeped in traditions and Christmas time was always a great time for pulling out ornaments and decorations, remembering when you got it and why. Todd and I have tried to make many of our traditions, and I really enjoy them. I'll share more on those later, but today, as we were trimming the tree and setting up the nativity, it was a really blessed time. We were setting up a number of nativity sets, one of which is massive and Todd reminded me that we got it as a first anniversary gift... in July... and when we finally opened it in December, Todd had to phone his dad and ask "if he had Jesus" (Mary and Jesus were in a separate box that we didn't have, which still gets a good laugh from all of us). It was neat to pull out ornaments from 1991 from my Grams and realize, as Em is hanging all of "her" ornaments, that some day, she'll be hanging her own memories on her own tree somewhere out in the big, wide world. It made my heart sing to be able to share the stories with her about where a decoration came from and the story behind it. She didn't believe me that I was a teacher... but what kid thinks their mom is anything but plain ol' Mom?

Cooper dove right in and tried to create as much destruction as possible in as little amount of time as possible. I must admit, he's pretty proficient!

Em, on the other hand, gently pulled out her's and Cooper's stockings and promptly put them on. Did I mention her new obsession with putting on socks???

Em's ornament from last year... how big she's gotten since I traced and sewed that.

Cooper, being just barely 14 months-old, was relegated to soft things and unbreakables. Which meant lots of playing in the big felt 'Santa' sack and much admonition from Todd and I to stop whatever he was doing. However, he does have one ornament that is unbreakable (I think) and that was his felt handprint from last year. It took him a bit to get Daddy to let him do it by himself, but he managed and was so stinkin' proud of himself!

Oh Christmas Tree

Todd and I have this tradition for Christmas. We started dating right before Christmas so that first dating-Christmas would have just been awkward... so we decided to DO something together rather than give presents. We still do that and have done everything from building bears at Build-A-Bear to snowboarding to going to a concert. We never do the same thing twice, and it's really been a lot of fun.

Our first Christmas married, however, was a rough one for me. I hadn't been back to California since the wedding and I was feeling the depressing cold, dark and flat that is Illinois. I was also lamenting the loss of my family's Christmas traditions. We had no money for decorations, but Todd, in all his husbandly wisdom, decided that our "gift" that year would be to DO Christmas. We cut our own tree, went to the Dollar Store and got as many cheap decorations as we could afford, and strung popcorn and made ornaments out of wedding cards. (Those are still some of my favorite and most treasured ornaments!)

The following year, I was complaining to some of my fellow Bible study gals about how we didn't have a tree and most of the popcorn and candy cane decorations had gone bad. A wonderful friend said she'd come over with some "left-overs" she had laying around. Turns out, she was in charge of all the Coats for Christmas campaigns in town and just revamped a bunch of the fake trees they put at the schools for the kids to hang the mittens and hats and what-not on. She came over, as it was snowing, early one Saturday morning with (kid you not) a trunk full of decorations, a tree... the works.

When we were packing things to come to the field, we left a lot of things behind, but my Christmas stuff was non-negotiable. Todd was rather upset with me on that one, but as we unpack the tree, for the second year in the heat of South Africa, we're both so grateful for our free, cast-off tree and all the provisions God set ahead for us. I spent all day cleaning and dusting and organizing so that tomorrow, the family can put up Christmas decorations. I'm excited to see the kids' reactions to all the sparkly and colorful things. I'm excited to see what the new townhouse will look like with the halls decked. But as all that excitement builds, I'm again reminded of how fortunate I am and how wonderful people like Lori, who didn't realize the full impact their actions would have years down the road, have blessed my life. Here's to hoping that you and your family are equally as blessed, and that you realize those blessings for what they truly are.

Green Beans

On Monday I discovered a new fruit and veggies store. It's more like a farmer's market than anything else, and the prices were really great. A friend was there who decided she was going to go Susie Homemaker and start canning pickles and do a year's supply of spaghetti sauce. I'm not that ambitious (or crazy with two ankle-biters running around) to add to my workload by that much. However, the massive box of green beans for $2 USD was tempting and when my friend told me how "easy" it was to freeze them myself, I figured for 2 bucks, I could give it a go.

So today was the day. I was going to clean and prep and freeze all these beans while Cooper was napping this morning, and...two hours later, I'm still only half-way through. Coop seemed rather obliging though, so I kept working while he played with the dog, but then he decided that that wasn't nearly as much fun and wanted to help... and then wanted to try one... and then wanted to eat beans by the fistful. It was at that final stage that I called it quits and now have a large amounts of green beans on my counter waiting. For what, I'm not really sure as I'm not seeing a break in the day that will allow for the devotion they're requiring, but I've got to finish what I started, but possibly with another helper who comes home this evening. I still think that while my morning assistant wasn't much of an actual help, he's pretty stinkin' cute and really entertaining to watch!

Yummy...

Just one more, please...

And we're done... :)