Dinnertime Prayers and Peek Checks

Me: Who wants to say the blessing tonight?
K: I do! I wanna pray.
Me: Okay, let’s all bow heads and close eyes while K says the blessing.

K:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for Mama and Daddy.
Thank you for the sisters.
Thank you for the brudders.
Thank you for the cousins and Chublet.
A’S NOT CLOSING HER EYES!

A: Well, if YOU can see ME, then YOUR eyes are open, too!
Me: Girls, let’s bow heads, close eyes and be reverent. K, continue with your prayer.

K:
Have a great day.
Play.
WoodyBuzz.
MAMA SAID CLOSE EYES, A!
Watch Turtle Man.
Acrifa.
Bless this food.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

Me: That was a great prayer, K.
M: It was. But I don’t think A and K ever did bow their heads and close their eyes.
Me: Now how do YOU know their eyes weren’t closed, M?

M: Well, I wasn’t really opening my eyes and looking around, but I did do a couple of peek checks and saw who was.

B Family Word of the Week:

Peek Check – a quick glimpse around the room to monitor the head–bowing and eye-closing of others (particularly younger siblings) that have gathered to pray, as demonstrated by the official B Family peek-checker herself:

Loved by a Little Girl

“Every horse deserves, at least once in its life, to be loved by a little girl.”

It's a saying amongst horse folks, recognizing the indescribable bond that forms between a horse-crazy little girl and her best equine friend. Horses are such perceptive and intelligent creatures. They seem to have an awareness of when they are on the receiving end of unconditional love and admiration.

Pistol is just an old cow horse. Strong, sturdy, sure-footed and dependable, most of his life has been spent working the ranch. He was used to being ridden by cowboys with rough mannerisms and coarse language. . . . Until one day when he stepped out of the horse trailer at a new farm and was claimed by a little blond-haired, blue eyed girl. A devoted little girl who tucked apples and carrots into her backpack in anticipation of after-school trips to the barn.

Who asked Santa to bring her her very own horse grooming kit for Christmas. And who pampered him with affectionate brushing sessions, conditioning treatments and sweet conversation.

It wasn’t long before the once underweight, scraggly-tailed cow horse with a brand marking him the property of a former ranch and random white hairs (scars from run-ins with barbed wire) scattered over his body, was being paraded around the barn all gussied up with dapples on his coat, polish on his hooves and a braided mane and tail.

Pistol is a cantankerous old fellow and is notorious in his attempts to outwit or outwill his rider. But something magical happens when Miss M climbs in the saddle. He knows who’s on his back and it’s as if he sees himself as the magnificent champion show horse that he is in her eyes. His stubborn demeanor turns patient, gentle and tolerant. Like he wants to take care of her and not let her down. His gaits are graceful and his transitions are easy. She presses him into a canter and he moves as softly and smoothly as a carousel horse.

They seem to communicate not just through physical cues, but through a mutual respect, admiration, trust—-and love—-for each other.

Thanks Garry and Emily for capturing the bond between Miss M and Pistol in these photographs.

Letters to Our Sons

We recently sent scrapbook albums to each of our boys. Inside were letters to them from us (in English and translated into Haitian Kreyol), a few of their referral photos, photos of us and the sisters, and pictures drawn for them by the sisters. I tried to keep the wording simple so it would translate easier and I tried to write M's letter in language a 3 year old would understand. Our plan is that each time we visit, we’ll take a few pages to add to their books, including pictures and stories about Haiti, the Children's Village, their caregivers and our prior visit. The idea is that they'll have books and pictures that their caregivers can read to them and they can look at while they wait and, when they finally come home, they'll each have a scrapbook documenting this part of their life story.

Here are the letters we included in our first batch of pages:

JM, our beautiful baby boy!
You are growing and changing every day! You are irresistible--we cannot bear to wait any longer to meet you so will be traveling to Haiti in a couple of weeks. It’s been a few years since we had an itty bitty baby in our family. Mama can hardly wait to hold you, rock you, and help take care of you. You have a strong, gentle Daddy who is also looking forward to meeting you. He has a special way with babies. Your big sisters loved to fall asleep in his arms. We wonder if you will, too? We have been gazing at your pictures for a couple of months now and we are so excited to get to know you and your little personality! It’s going to be so hard to say goodbye at the end of our visit. But know, sweet son, that we are always praying for you. That your tummy will be full. That your bed will be cozy. That your cries will be answered. That your dreams will be sweet. That your days will be full of sunshine and play. That your broken heart will heal. And that you will be protected from all sickness, injury and evil. We love you and know that God has a special plan for your life. We are so thankful that we get to be a part of it.
Love you to the moon and all around the world,
Daddy and Mama

Daddy and Mama are so excited about meeting our special boy, HM!
In a few weeks, we will be getting on a big airplane to fly to Haiti to visit you! We love the beautiful mountains and beaches in Haiti. We love Haiti. And we love YOU!
Daddy likes to play soccer. Do you like to kick a soccer ball? Mama wants to color pictures with you and sing songs. Do you like to draw and sing? We will bring some bubbles to blow with you and your little friends. We will also bring some books to read.
You are such a big, handsome boy! You are growing so fast and learning so much! While we are in Haiti, we want to learn everything we can learn about YOU! Who are your friends? What are your favorite foods to eat? What games do you like to play? Do you like to dance? Do you like to run and jump? What makes you happy? What makes you giggle? What makes you sad? What makes you feel cozy and safe? We want to talk to you and hear your sweet little voice. We are practicing our Kreyol so you will understand some of our words. We will bring our camera and take lots of pictures. You have such a precious smile! Do you like to make silly faces? We especially want to hold you and give you lots of hugs and kisses!
After our visit, we will have to go back to our house in Florida. We will set up a room for you and J with beds and toys and books. We will tell the sisters what you like to do so they can get ready to play with you. We sure will miss you! But we will be back to visit soon. One day, HM, J, Daddy and Mama will ALL get on the big airplane and come home TOGETHER. Won’t that be a great day? We have been praying for you for a long, long time. We love you so, so much! Jesus loves you even more than we do and He will look after you while you wait to come home.
Love you to the moon and all around the world,
Daddy and Mama

Halloween Fun

We had a Buzz Lightyear, a Peacock and a Native American Princess for Halloween this year. Love how each of their costumes reflects their personalities and what they're into right now.

Oh, and Chloe was a cheerleader.

We spent the evening with our good friends, the A family. Always a good time when we get together. Love doing life with these two (who showed up as the Mad Hatter and a good witch) and all our girls!

The daddies and daughters trick-or-treated around our block while the mommies made pizzas caught up in the kitchen while making pizzas (I think we've perfected the barbeque chicken with red onion and bacon pizza).

J is known for her baked goods and treats and had made cookies, cupcakes and to-die-for caramel and chocolate apples. Yummy!

We might have to make this a tradition! D and I are planning our costumes for next year!