Bright Future

Ok, lets just go ahead and say what a big blog slacker I am. But with all good excuses! I have very limited access to a computer and every time I do I don't have much time with a two year old running circles around me saying "come, play". He now loves to take our finger and lead us to play with him. I am tempted to adopt so he'll have a play buddy, haha. That sounds bad, if we adopted right now it wouldn't be for that reason primarily. What am I thinking, we've got a baby on the way. One day though we hope to!

All is great. Well, actually its been a storm here and there but we're learning more and more to overcome from the inside out and not let our circumstances effect us. But overall, things are great. I just started a book called Face to Face with God by Bill Johnson. Um, life changing/challenging! Definitely not a book you want to pick up unless you're ready to be challenged beyond words to live beyond the mundane Christian life. It's good though. The first thing that caught my eye when I flipped it open in Hastings, was it said "We need God to give us supernatural grace to live opposite of our circumstances". Simple, profound. Yes, I need that!

I can hardly believe Christmas is this week! It's a good holiday and although I think I enjoyed Christmas in Kenya last year much more, I am continually learning to be content here and live life in the moment. (Not that I am extremely blessed to have family here and spend it with them) We're still in the apartment at CCSA. It is such a blessing to have our own place to go to. We haven't gotten too much into the American Christmas cheer. No stockings, no tree, no tinsel, no lights. Our decoration has been a few Christmas balloons from when we take a trip to Patti's Party, a few presents wrapped in Christmas paper, and Christmas cards sent from friends. Oh and lets not forget the cutest picture of Elisha with Santa! He was not a fan the first time he saw him a month or so again but by the third or fourth time, he loved him! I think he discovered he gets a candy cane when he sits in his lap. He now says "s-anta" and "snow". Two words he definitely would not have learned had we been in Kenya right now. He actually repeats almost anything we say, when he's in the mood, it's just a selective thing at the moment. I have a blast with him at this age in watching him learn new things and start to grow more. He now decides when his diaper is full enough, takes it off, puts it in the trash, and brings me a new one! So since he does that I bought a little potty. He's gone twice in it the past week. Somewhat success, but I'm not pushing him. I'll ask and be consistent but usually his response is "no way!". Maybe by March something will click in his brain that he wants to. If not, looking on the bright side, traveling back to Kenya in May we wont have to take a lot of potty trips on the plane or in the airport. There's always a positive side. Anywho, that's my exciting life of motherhood. Bud is working away. He works at Fed-ex and Family Christian bookstore. He is content working there for this time. We're on our way to being debt free! He has the weekends off so that's good. Otherwise, during the week he is working a lot. Elisha and I tend to find ourselves being busy during the day though. Our schedule is usually consistent... 5am, Bud goes to work, 7:30am Elisha and I wake up, 8:30am Bud comes home from work, breakfast and play time with Dad, 10am Bud goes to work at Family Christian and on the way home from us taking him Elisha falls asleep for his nap, mom gets quiet time to clean house, read and sleep (making a baby wears you out I tell ya), 2pm we go pick up Bud, play with Dad and wrestle with him, 4:30pm take Bud to Fed-ex, mom and Eli go to the park, run errands or go play at home and cook dinner for dad, 7:30pm go pick up Bud, Elisha falls asleep on the way, go home, bedtime. Next day: repeat.

Well that's somewhat of a start of catching you up with our life. Yes, random. I guess it's been so long that I have no idea where to start. Oh and birthday, gosh, I need to put up pictures from Elisha's 2ND birthday!

Here's an email from Humphrey, our social worker at Mattaw. We got it last week. We are so incredibly blessed to have him a part of our vision at Mattaw!

Hi there, I hope you guys are having a good time even as Christmas knocks on the door. We are good apart from Vivian who's still in plasters and Isaac who had a mild headache today. Pauline has been having mumps but was treated, she's healing. Christabelle had malaria last week, she was badly off, she couldn't walk. She's better, in fact she'll be taking the girls to the salon in town tomorrow. Otherwise everyone is doing fine. Geoffrey is great. Thanks so much for all the prayers you guys are offering for us, they're doing us good. November was a bit rough but we thank God for the experiences we go through which make us better if we stay positive. You can't believe this, Lucy and Georgie carry their plates after they eat and take them where the older kids take theirs. Lucy no longer sits in one place, she walks around. Yesterday she was washing a plate in a basin, she had this face of "a busy woman at work". Sleeping is now part of Georgie's diet. Today he dozed off on the floor after taking a bath. He can now say "wewe" (you) and Victor is his favorite. (the oldest boy in house two) Obadiah is becoming more athletic, always on the move and loud as ever. You always have to recognize his presence. I am having these classes on building high self-esteem. Today I was using Joseph as an example. I had a two hour class with them. They didn't want me to leave. There were moments when they would be silent, you could hear a pin drop. The concentration was high. Time came and it was emotional, almost every kid had watery eyes, Jeftah shed tears. I was almost overtaken too. I can't wait for tomorrow.
There was this day I narrated a story of a man who disobeyed during his childhood and how he became, his life was in bad shape in his old age. I asked them "when did his life get ruined?" They all answered in chorus form, "when he was young". They had gotten the point. The future is bright for these kids because God has pointed them out. They've been called, they've been chosen.

Thanks for everything. Humphrey.

A few days after he sent this little story, pretty cute...

Yesterday, Christabelle left house two to go to house one to give all the children medicine that needed it. After gathering all the children (at night remember, its extremely dark) to go over, she reaches house one she finds Georgie and is like "Georgie, I just left you in house two!". He is fast and walking well now. He is now fighting for supremacy with Obadiah, he makes him scream at times. The other kids can not hold him, they're "young" according to him.

Ok, time to go. It's Tuesday and that means date night for me and Bud. Bud's parents live in San Angelo and are awesome to keep Elisha once a week for us. He stays the night with his Nene and Poppa and has a blast. Love you guys, thanks for still keepin in touch. My days of blogging regular are coming back. I can feel it...