School Days

We are in our third week of homeschool.  Isaac and Graham have adjusted well to having BOTH of their parents as teachers.  Bryan is teaching Math and I’m working with the boys on everything else.  Owen is attending preschool three days a week.  In my opinion, he’s had the biggest adjustment of all.  After his first day, he informed me that he wasn’t going back.  He’s bravely made new friends and faced homesickness.  I’m proud of him.  

 

This is what Owen does while we are doing school.

 

 

Graham hard at work.

 

 

Isaac loves math!

 

 

Bryan and Isaac discussion quadratic equations...Not!

Summer of Suitcases, Part 4

 

Mt. St. Helen

 

Mt. St. Helen

 

 

Bellingham Bay

 

 

Bellingham Bay

 

 

Birchwood Park - Bellingham, WA

 

 

My nephew Jayson

 

 

Owen

 

 

Bryan and our niece Izzy

 

 

My newest nephew, Dylan Michael

 

 

Cousins - Owen, Aiden, Isaac, Emma & Graham

 

The fun continues!  We are still in Washington enjoying our little cabin in the woods.  We drive in each day to Ben and Jen’s house to hang out with the family.  The boys are really loving their time with their cousins-as you can see from the pictures.  The next time I write I’ll share a little more from the heart.  So, stay tuned!

Double Digits

My oldest son turned 10 years old on July 24th!  Due to our current crazy, nomadic life-stlye we celebrated this milestone in a sporadic fashion. Aunt Jenny made him a cake a couple of weeks early.   We had cupcakes with friends at a water park the week of his birthday.  Bryan and I gave him his gift a few days after the actual day.  Hopefully, next year will be a little more predictable.

Ten things I love about Isaac…

1. His honesty.

2. His imagination.

3. His smile.

4. The way he falls asleep immediately at night and can sleep through anything.

5. His zany sense of humor.

6. His quirky spit sounds.

7. The way he sings out during church.

8. They way he gives me a good-night kiss and hug.

9.  They way he talks.

10.  Just about everything else…

Recently, he said something to me and I responded, “Aw, Isaac, you’re SO cute!”  He informed me in a kind but firm way, “Mom, I’d rather you say that that I’m handsome and brave.”  So, I guess the “cute” days are officially over!

Here’s my handsome, brave young man.

Summer of Suitcases, Part 1

Hello to all of my faithful readers!  I realize that it’s been awhile since I’ve posted.  I was correct in my prediction of poor Internet access.  However, all of the forces behind good blogging have converged today….time, Internet access, photos and desire!  So, here’s a peek into our summer travels thus  far.  

 

I didn’t break out my camera for every visit or activity!  I apologize if I missed you in the photo gallery!  Stay tuned for more photos in a few weeks. 

Disco Fever!

The excitement has been building for weeks. Last night, Kara Christian Academy, celebrated the end of the school year with a dance party and ice cream sundaes! Parents and students alike got out on the dance floor and moved to classic disco hits like Dancing Queen and YMCA. Now, don’t start thinking that there was any inappropriate dancing going on…it was more like a 1 hour aerobics session! The kids were great entertainment to watch. They were doing jumping jacks, kart wheels, break dancing and random cheer moves. It was wild! There were some tender moments too when the daughters danced with their dads and the sons danced with their moms.

I was even asked to dance the final “slow dance” with Asher Miller, age 4. He came up to me and said very sweetly, “Mrs. Tracey, would you dance with me?” Then he proceed to kiss me on the chest! A little bit forward, but considering that I was sitting down and that was at his level, I forgave the bold move. He’s a great dancer by the way.

If you haven’t let loose with your kids and funky music in awhile, I advise doing so…it’s a great stress reliever and a fun memory-making activity!

KCA Open House

Our community school, Kara Christian Academy, had our first ever open house this month! The students and teachers worked hard to prepare for the big event. My 4th grade class sang four American themed songs and did a drawing demonstration. The 2nd grade class sang a few scripture songs and performed an adorable poem about a dog disco. The preschoolers sang the Itsy Bitsy Spider in that precious way that only 3 and 4 years old can.  The parents did their part by oohing and aahing over the children’s work.  Of course, the night was completed with a refreshment table!

My class with their lovely pastel chalk drawings. They really enjoyed improving their art skills this year.

Mrs. Nicole and the 2nd grade class.

Mrs. Becky and the preschoolers.

Rejoice!

Rejoice with us and the angels in heaven at the spiritual birth of Isaac!  Today, we walked down to the Kara River along with our teammates and special Kabiye friends to witness Isaac’s baptism.  Isaac has loved Jesus since a very young child, but today he decided to publicly declare that he wants follow Jesus all of his days.  Isaac is a young man of integrity and honesty.  He loves nature and learning the details about everything.  I feel confident that God will use these strong traits to his glory in the years to come.  Knowing God he’ll find some “hidden” qualities to bring out too.  I am eager to watch Isaac’s faith continue to develop.  Please pray for him as he begins this journey of faith at a deeper level.  We are so proud!

The Long Good-bye, Part 13

Life is cruising along at a break-neck speed with the Preston Road visitors here! They have experienced the local grande marche, village visits, the swimming pool, fellowship with the team and (unfortunately) delayed luggage arrival. The group has already been a huge encouragement to our family. At the moment, Bryan and the rest of the gang are enjoying safari at the Pendjari Game Park in Benin. They will return on Saturday afternoon. Therefore, I am blessed again to be at home alone….packing!!! Before they left this morning Isaac found me in the bathroom brushing my teeth and said in an observational tone, “Mom, you like having a break from us don’t you?” Is it that obvious?

Below are two pictures from Graham’s family birthday party. Graham requested a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and peanut butter creme filling. (That’s the same cake Owen had!) We gave our budding artist his own sketch pad, colored pencils and drawing pencils.

I took the ladies of the PRCC group to the big local market. You can practically buy anything there! We spent most of our time in the fabric section choosing just the right patterns which is a challenge because there are so many to choose from.

L-R: Darla Sanderson, Teresa Boyd, Chrystal Chambers, Holly Thigpen and Angela Boyd

Stone Sanderson and Graham have enjoyed playing baseball together every spare moment!

More pictures and news to come!

Sunshine

Graham turned eight on March 1st! He is a tender-hearted, friendly and passionate young man. He has a way of making others of all ages feel comfortable around him with his charming smile and amiable disposition. His faith in God is growing marked this year by a high sense of justice for all. He is my sunshine each day.

So, according to family tradition I coaxed him outdoors for a birthday photo shoot. He was reluctant to participate (but as a mommy I must force some things) thus the bike picture compromise. Isn’t he growing more handsome by the year?

Roller-coaster

Roller-coasters can be fun, but the one I’ve been on this week has been a little too “extreme” for my taste.

The lows…

On our trip to Lome on Sunday, Bryan hit a motorcycle with two men on it with our truck. We were driving on the national highway when the motorcycle driver decided to cross the road without looking first. Bryan honked the horn and slammed on the brakes, but was unable to avoid rear-ending the bike. The passenger flew backwards and his head slammed into our windshield. The driver hit the asphalt. The seconds that followed were terrifying since we didn’t know the extent of their injuries. We took them to a local hospital and waited around for 3 hours until the doctor checked them out. Thankfully, God protected them (and us) and they only had minor injuries. We paid for their medical bills and gave them some cash to help repair the motorcycle.

Because of the accident our visit to Tabligbo and Lome didn’t go according to plan (obviously) which caused us a lot of stress. (Read: arguments and bad parenting)

The highs…

An encouraging visit with the Crowson & Koonce families in Tabligbo.

Bryan’s brothers, Andy and Ben, are here! They are a joy to have around plus they brought us a lot of goodies!

Bryan gave me an ipod nano for Valentine’s Day!!! I am thrilled. I drifted off to sleep listening to Coldplay last night.

The school Valentine’s Day party! There’s nothing like handmade valentine cards from children to brighten the day.

I am thankful for God’s presence in all of these situations, especially the scary ones!