Sunday, April 28, 2019

Opening Day



Why don't things like this scare children?






























They scare me a little.

This was registration day back in the fall for the dance/gymnastics/hip hop/yoga/pilates/karate/guitar/piano/singing/art classes for the year.  Since my two older girls are teachers, they had to be available all day, so I hung out a little while with them.

I'm guessing the studio rented any suit they could find in-country, because there is no correlation between any of these characters and what was going on inside, but Keira still wanted her picture made with the "pretty cat."

The treats inside were pretty amazing though.




The sticks above, that the notes are on, are the reason we left the studio with a loose tooth.








































There are no complaints here.  Keira was pretty excited.

And it was a successful registration day, so now every Saturday, the girls get to see these cuties.




Thursday, April 25, 2019

The Pop Heard 'Round the World

October 1, 2019

This is a day that will forever be remembered in our home.

This was the day Kylie's patella popped out of socket, tearing up a lot of things on its journey before it finally popped back into place. 

She saw two doctors in two days who gave differing opinions.

I'd love to say it's "in the past," but she is still dealing with the aftermath of that injury.  I'm sure things would have been a little different had we been in the States, but this is part of our journey, and even in this, He is with us, and we are learning more about Him.

In the beginning, no stairs meant living/sleeping downstairs for about three weeks.


Crutches for 7 weeks.






























 No dancing for 2 months.

October 3, 2019


*Tried dancing in January, and then went back to the original doctor in February.



*No more dancing for another month; weight machines 4 days a week.



*Back to the doctor again.

*No dancing for another month.

*More weights.





At the end of that time (tomorrow, April 26) is the show that she can only participate in little.


This has not been an easy road for her, but she has been an amazing patient, and she has grown a lot.





Getting an ultrasound on her knee October 5, 2019






























To get to this doctor, she had to walk with her newly acquired crutches across this slick tile sidewalk that was brilliantly placed outside of the clinic.

The right clutch slipped, and she went down on her foot.




Someone did come out with a wheelchair to help her in.  The wheelchair made it into the elevator with about a centimeter on each side to spare (if that much), and since there are step-overs to all the door ways, she eventually had to use her crutches to get to the office anyway.


This book is where the doctor keeps his medical notes/records.  No computer in sight.  Just one patient written about one after the other.

Leaving the office, was also tricky.  Coming, we had walked two blocks because we didn't know where the office was.  This time, Doug went to get the car, and pulled up to the "curb" (which you can see below).  All I can say is:  Be thankful for handicap regulations in America.  You never know when you'll be the one to benefit from them.



October 5, 2019







































Tuesday, April 23, 2019

School Started...A Long Time Ago


When school starts in September, it's still pretty hot around here.


The Mercedes-Benz place went all out trying to protect its shrubbery.

Keira started the first day of school with a little excitement of her own.


Keira - Grade 1.  Keira started the year off at a school in our neighborhood, but by the end of October, we decided to withdraw her and enroll her in the French school.  The school in our neighborhood was focusing more on teaching the kids English, and we wanted a little more challenge for her.  I think doing all of her lessons in French is definitely a challenge!  She is doing great, and she still has class three days a week in the local language, too. 


Walking in with her dad.

 

There were still a few tears.



 But she eventually walked into the "party."


And when I picked her up at the end of the day, she was all smiles, with some leftover cat face paint.


The first draft of her schedule included "Muice," however, even though they changed the schedule three more times before she left, they never got "music" spelled right :)



Caleb - grade 7.  He started the year off at a school here, but little did we know, in November, that school would be shut down.  Thankfully, Doug and I could see the writing on the wall, so by the end of October, we had withdrawn him and started him back at homeschool.






The numbers at the bottom of the sign they are holding aren't some sort of weird reference to 9/11, but when I look back at pictures, I'll never know what grades they were in if I don't have it in writing.


Karis - Grade 9.  This is her first time back at homeschool since 6th grade.  Since she was starting high school, we decided to put her in an American schooling program to make it easier for her to prepare for university.



Kylie - Grade 11.  As Kylie started her junior year at home, she was glad to have Karis at home, too.  I still can't believe she will be leaving home so soon!








Sunday, April 21, 2019

The Battle is Real

He is risen!

There is so much behind that statement.  

There is so much about that statement that has changed my life, brought me to where I am, made me who I am, and continues to grow me into the person I want to be. 

Easter a year ago, we celebrated Easter on a mountaintop. 

The Angel armies watched the Son rise and worshiped from their battle stations 2000 years ago. 

We watched the sun rise, and we worshiped from our battle station.

We must live this Truth out daily in our lives. 




 The top of the mountain was so cold and windy, but we felt such warmth in our hearts as the sun rose.  He meets us again and again.  He never fails. 



On the other side of the mountain, to the west, was a city about to be awakened by the light of the sun coming over the hill.

The moon would soon disappear, and the inhabitants would wake to another day, the beginning of their work week.

But it wasn't just another day for us, and we spent time bringing this land before the throne.


It's a beautiful land with beautiful people.

As you spend time reflecting this Easter on what He has done for you and in you, also remember those who don't even know of His sacrifice. 

The battle is real.

II Cor 5:14-15 "For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.


(The kids and dads hiking after breakfast)

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Things I See (Vol 7)

Welcome to "Things I See."  If you want to see the previous installments, you can click on Volume 1 , Volume 2, Volume 3, Volume 4, Volume 5, Volume 6

I've mentioned the "Garage Sale on Steriods" before.

Random HIGH heel


All these shoes (and everything) were burned in a fire last fall when the "giant garage sale" burned down. Thankfully, I've heard that parts of it are now re-opened, so I look forward to going back to see how they have bounced back. 








































The misspellings on clothes here crack me up.







































Why go to Neiman Marcus, when you could just come here and find all the matching purses and shoes you ever dreamed of for a fraction of the cost :)







































This is the chicken shop beside our old house.  I looked over the wall, and I saw something on his table out front and I got a little curious.







































So I pretended to go for a walk, and come at it from a different view point.


































I haven't actually seen what is inside these goat/sheep skins, but I think it's cheese.








































Yes, "special."  That's the word I'm thinking of.








































Wedding parties here drive through the city honking and yelling out windows, much like we used to see in Africa.  Here is one I barely caught, driving through our neighborhood.




I caught Keira one day watching TV while proclaiming her secret identity :)







































Packages are always such a blessing.







































More fun writing advertised in a coffee shop.

"Merry Christma."







































When Keira was in Kindergarten, she was given some copy work for the letter "w."

It is supposed to look like the two loops at the top of this page, but it made me smile when Keira wrote two "e's." It made me wonder if she were in America, would she have written her "e's" backward.