This Is The Life!

Let The Waters Rise

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:26:00 +0000

While Christmas in our home was a sacred and magical event, our spirits were significantly dampened by a tragic development within our extended B Family. We rang in the New Year with heavy hearts and see mountainous challenges on the horizon as we set sail into 2012. But we are endeavoring to stand on the Word, praying for God’s perfect plan--a plan that we know is never inconsistent with His Word--to manifest itself in our loved ones’ lives, that He will surround them with wise and Godly counsel, and that He will guide and direct our words and actions with respect to the situation—-that they will not be couched in anger, but grounded in truth and clothed in love, grace and mercy. We know our God can heal broken hearts, restore joy and relationships and move mountains!

Despite this crisis (and a few other non-blog-worthy end-of-year setbacks), we reflect on 2011 with much gratefulness and gratitude. We had the opportunity to see God and draw closer to Him in mud homes of widows in Zambia, amidst the rubble and tent communities of Haiti, and in quiet moments at our own kitchen table. And we drew closer to each other as we admired the beauty of God’s creation in colorful Florida beach sunsets, awe-inspiring views from Carolina mountaintops, and in the gift of small moments and seemingly uneventful, ordinary days spent as a family, simply doing life TOGETHER. THANK YOU, GOD, for loving us! THANK YOU, GOD, for the gift of family!

We know our Lord is faithful, mighty to save and ALWAYS good—always, always, always, always GOOD! We are blessed beyond anything we deserve and are optimistic about what God has in store for our family in 2012 and beyond. Our Haiti adoption paperwork is coming together—it is likely that 2012 will be the year we meet our son! Some career-related doors recently opened for D and we’re excited to see how a new business venture takes shape (he put in a TON of work and passed a difficult test to help those doors to open and I am so proud of him!). And we are believing that the situation in our extended family will result in TESTIMONY, not tragedy. What the Lord has planned for our future has yet to be revealed, but we suspect it’s something pretty amazing in light of all of the testing, teaching, shaping and stretching that has taken place over the past few years. We pray that our branches will continue to be pruned in the coming year and that it will be a year of bearing fruit.

So bring on the New Year!

May 2012 be great, wild and full of Him!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Special K Day!

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:38:00 +0000

Today is Special K Day! On December 27, 2009, after piles of paperwork, months of waiting and a trip halfway around the world, our Miss K was finally placed in our arms! One of the defining moments of our lives. We are so blessed to be her Mom-Mom and Daddy!

(please scroll down and pause (II) the background music before playing the video)

Santa Claus Comes Tonight!

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 16:31:00 +0000

Earlier this week, we had a delightful visit with that jolly old man with a red suit and a servant's heart--otherwise known as Santa Claus!

Miss M requested her very own horse grooming kit.

Miss A asked for a cute stuffed owl she saw at Books-A-Million last weekend.

And Miss K put in an order for a peanut butter “sammich”.

Our girls have been very good this year, so we look forward to seeing what he leaves under our tree tonight!

Have a Merry Christmas! May all of your holiday wishes come true!

Miss A and the Little Donkey

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:09:00 +0000

There are several “wild”, rescued donkeys at the farm where Mamatoo boards her horses. Perhaps due to former mistreatment, they are generally untrusting of and avoid interaction with people. Over the past few weeks, Miss A became intrigued by the donkeys. One afternoon, she stood at the fence watching them graze off in the distance as Mamatoo, Ken and Miss M went about their barn chores. After a while, they noticed that she’d gone through the gate and ventured out into the field. While Mamatoo and Ken called out to her to be careful, they were certain the donkeys would never let her get near enough to them to pose any danger. Miss A stood in the middle of the field softly calling “Come to me, Little Donkey. I won’t hurt you”, as the donkeys huddled under the trees on the far side of the pasture. Ten, twenty, thirty minutes passed and Miss A was still standing alone, patiently beckoning the donkeys to come to her. After about 45 minutes, it was time to leave the barn. Mamatoo walked toward the field to call Miss A in and, to her disbelief, Miss A was surrounded by the donkeys. She was patting one on his neck and feeding him horse treats out of her hand. Ken caught some pictures of our little donkey whisperer before Miss A told them goodbye.

A couple of days later, guess who was thrilled to play a donkey in the kindergarten nativity?

Just a Little Donkey

Just a little donkey,
But on my back I bore
The one and only Savior
The world was waiting for.

Just a little donkey
But I was strong and proud—
I gladly carried Mary
Through the chaos of the crowd.

I brought her to a stable
Where she made a tiny bed. . .
A place for Baby Jesus
To lay his little head.

I pray the world remembers
That special Christmas night
When just a little donkey
Carried Heaven’s Precious Light.

--Rita S. Beer

My 38th Birthday Project!

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:06:00 +0000

If you’re visiting to read the BIG news about our growing family, click HERE.

In other not-so-big news, I turned another year older last week. THREE-EIGHT!

A couple of months ago, I was skipping around the internet looking for some ideas for Miss M’s birthday party and on a whim, knowing my birthday was coming up, I did a search for “38th birthday”. I wasn’t really expecting anything particularly interesting to come up, but I stumbled upon a link to THIS post and was intrigued enough to click on it.

Well, after reading about Robyn’s 38th birthday celebration, I was inspired to celebrate MY 38th birthday in a similar fashion, by finding ways to bless other people in honor of each year that the Lord has blessed me with life on this earth.

Over the weekend, D and the girls joined me in a birthday celebration challenge to perform 38 random acts of kindness. We had a blast surprising unsuspecting people with unexpected gestures. Other than our mailman and the neighbors we delivered cookies to, we kept everything anonymous. We prayed that the Lord would place people in our path that He wanted to bless and that the recipients of our acts would see them not as gifts from us, but as blessings from Him just coming through us.

It really is better to give than to receive, y’all. This will go down as one of my favorite birthday celebrations yet. We had SO. MUCH. FUN!

Here’s what we did:

1. Drove around a local neighborhood early in the morning and moved peoples newspapers from the curb to their doorsteps.

2. Left coupons for free Krispy Kreme doughnuts and coffee on the tables in front of Krispy Kreme.

3. Miss M made a bunch of “homeless person care packages”, each with a new pair of socks, bar of soap, tube of toothpaste, toothbrush, granola bar and package of crackers. We gave one of those packages and a box of a half-dozen hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts to a homeless man. He grinned from ear to ear! We're going to hand out the rest of the packages later this week to the folks that sleep on the steps of Sacred Heart Church.

4. Delivered a dozen hot Krispy Kremes and a hand-written and MNB-illustrated thank you card to the police station.
5. Delivered a dozen hot Krispy Kremes to the nurses working in the Emergency Room. We discovered that EVERYONE loves hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts!

6. Made a beautiful “new mom” gift basket stocked with a package of newborn diapers, a box of wipes, Johnson’s baby wash and baby lotion, an embroidered burp cloth, a baby blanket, pacifiers, a package of 0-3 month onesies, satin-covered baby hangers, a “Sleep Sound in Jesus” lullaby CD, and decorated with pink and blue balloons. We asked the lady at the desk of the labor and delivery and NICU floor at the hospital to have the nurses give it to the new mom they thought needed it most.
7. Left puzzles, packaged snacks, playing cards, an UNO game, coloring books and crayons in the surgery and labor and delivery waiting rooms at the hospital.

8. Taped quarters to coke machines in visiting areas of the hospital with a little note that said “Blessings!”.

9. Returned carts for people in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

10. Miss M and Miss A gave $25 Wal-Mart gift card to little old woman in the Wal-Mart checkout line. She left the store as we were loading up in our car. We saw her eyes searching all over the parking lot as she walked, and we knew she was looking for those two little girls and trying to figure out who they belonged to. We all ducked down and hid and giggled as she walked right past our van and got into an old brown car one aisle over!

Once the coast was clear, we sat up and Miss M exclaimed “It just makes my heart go WOW to do something nice for a stranger!” That pretty much summed up our whole day--one heart-wow after the next!

11. Drove through a random neighborhood and placed poinsettias on people’s front doorsteps. The girls delivered one to a little boy and his mother who were out on their front porch.
12. Walked into a laundromat and handed 4 quarters to each of the 3 people in there doing laundry.

13. Left a big bag of cat food on the doorstep of an eccentric old guy who has taken responsibility to make sure all stray cats in our neighborhood are fixed and fed (and named after all the girls he's loved before).

14. Gave a cold bottled water to our mailman as we passed him making his rounds.

15. Baked cookies and delivered them to 5 of our neighbors.
16. Scattered a roll of 100 pennies around the Munn Park fountain and wrote “make a wish!” in chalk.
17. Delivered hot pepperoni pizzas and a hand-written, MNB-illustrated thank you card to the firehouse.
18. Ordered (and paid for) dessert for the two ladies dining behind us at Chili’s (and asked the waitress to deliver it after we were gone).
19. On our way out of Chilis, the girls gave a $25 Chili’s gift card to two ladies and a little girl. Before she could get away, one of the ladies grabbed Miss M and gave her a big hug and asked “Why did you do this?” She answered “Because it’s my Mama’s birthday and we are doing things for others as a way to celebrate it.”

20. Miss M and Miss A gave a $25 gift card to a woman checking out at Publix. Her mouth dropped open as she looked around for the little girls' parents. “Have a great day and a Merry Christmas” our girls giggled as they ran back to our getaway van.
21. Handed out cold bottled water to hot, thirsty runners and walkers circling Lake Hollingsworth.
22. Paid the toll on the Parkway for the car behind us.

23. Taped quarters to the machines at a self-service car wash.
24. Picked up trash at the playground near MamaToo’s house. This one was Miss M’s idea—she said last time she played there she remembered “walking on trash”. haha!
25. Purchased a couple of inspirational greeting cards. Picked two names out of the property appraisers database, prayed for them and wrote them short encouraging notes (but did not sign them) and dropped them in the mail.

26. Rolled up a dollar bill and tied it to three helium balloons. Let them go.
27. Hid short notes of affirmation and encouragement in the pages of a few books at Books-A-Million. Also placed a $5 Books-A-Million gift card that said “to you (yeah YOU!) From us (and no, you don’t know us)—Be Blessed!” on a random shelf at Books-A-Million for a fellow shopper to find.
28. Stopped and offered assistance to a family whose truck was broken down on the interstate (oil light came on and the father was returning with oil).

29. They appreciated the gesture but didn’t need help at that point, so we went to the McDonalds at the next exit and purchased two $10 gift cards so they could get something to eat as they resumed their travels.

30. Passed by a car wash and stopped and handed out bottled water and packaged crackers and snacks to the folks doing the washing.

31. Purchased a bouquet of flowers at the grocery store and left them on the windshield of a woman’s car.
32. We sponsor 3 children through Compassion and one little girl through Wiphan. We LOVE our sponsored kiddos in Zambia, Rwanda, Kenya and Ethiopia. We keep their pictures framed in our home, pray for them daily and consider them part of our extended family. It’s a way to feel connected to places that have made an impact on our lives, and to teach our children about poverty and making a difference. We decided to start sponsoring a little girl in Haiti in honor of my birthday project.
33. Through Compassion’s Gifts of Compassion program, we purchased a goat for a family in need. Goats can be bred to provide a source of milk, meat and household income.
34. Purchased mosquito nets for a needy family through Samaritans Purse.

35. Purchased a dozen baby chicks for a needy family through Samaritans Purse.

36. Miss A and I spent 20 minutes being door holders/greeters/Merry Christmas wishers for tired, busy Christmas shoppers at the entrance to the mall. I was surprised at how appreciative and friendly most of the people were! Lots of smiles and “Thank You!”s. One lady even gave Miss A a hug and kiss on the forehead!

37. Handed out balloons to children at a downtown festival.
38. Purchased a $5 Starbucks gift card and asked the barista at the drive-thru to give it to the couple in the car behind us. WE purchased 4 peppermint mochas and 3 children’s hot chocolates and took them to D’s mom and dad’s house where we serenaded them with Christmas carols and then visited with them as we all sipped our hot drinks.

Whew—all that kindness wore us out! But it was great! At the end of the project, felt like we were more blessed by it than any of the people we did things for. And even after we completed our challenge, we found ourselves continuing to scope out the world around us for opportunities to brighten someone's day.

I would encourage everyone to celebrate their birthday this way. Do it! You won’t regret it! Visit Robyn’s website The Birthday Project to be inspired!

A New Chapter In Our Story

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 02:27:00 +0000

Three years ago TODAY, we announced our journey to Miss K! This Christmas marks two years since she joined our family. We cannot imagine life without her and we are blessed beyond words to have the joy and honor of being her Mommy and Daddy. The miracle of adoption changed our lives.

We have been praying for some time now about growing our family again through adoption. While D was in Haiti in August (you can read about his trip HERE), he fell in love with the country and began to pray about being more involved there in the long term. Over the past few months, these prayers have become intertwined and we are now excited to announce that we are on another journey to Haiti. . . a journey to our son!

A new chapter in our family's story has begun. . .

A little bit about the Haiti Adoption process. . .
We looked into adopting from Haiti years ago, but Haiti has traditionally been very strict about its requirements for adoptive parents—that they be married at least 10 years, be at least 35 years old, and have no biological children—and we didn’t meet any of those criteria at the time. On top of those requirements, Haiti has historically been notoriously slow at processing adoptions. Before the earthquake, they were averaging 2-3+ years from referral to homecoming. In contrast to many countries, where adoptive parents may wait years to be matched and then finalization happens over a few months, matches come relatively quickly in Haiti due to the fact that there are many waiting children who are available for adoption and comparatively few families who are seeking to adopt; after the match, however, the rest of the process generally drags on and on and on and on and on. Waiting--particularly after you've seen and/or met the child that you've been matched with--is HARD, and this discourages many families from pursuing an adoption from Haiti.

Haiti placed a hold on new adoptions following the earthquake and since they re-opened earlier this year, their government has been re-working its adoption laws. No one knows yet whether the changes will bring more efficient processing or longer delays, but we are preparing for a long road. At this point, because we have two biological children (apparently the number of adopted children a family has is a non-issue), President Martelly himself will need to issue a "presidential dispensation" approving our adoption. While there are no guarantees, we have been advised that because we meet the age and length of marriage requirements, he will likely sign off and it will “only” add a couple of months to the overall timeframe. But no one really knows. We are expecting a rollercoaster ride, with a lot of uncertainty and some bumps and surprises along the way. If you know what a planner I am and how organized and structured I tend to be, you know that this is WAY out of my comfort zone. I’m really going to have to let go of my desire to control all the details lean on the Lord in this adventure! Over the past few months, God has given me a peace about adopting from Haiti despite all of the unknowns and has confirmed to my heart that He has a plan and it is in His hands.

We submitted our application to our agency, Holt International, on October 27—exactly 3 years to the DAY after we submitted our application to AGCI and kicked off our journey to K (the date thing was totally unplanned—we didn’t realize it until we glanced back at our Ethiopia timeline the night before we sent in our Haiti application!). We are currently in the “paperchasing” stage. A social worker is preparing a homestudy and we are getting physical and psychological(!) exams, background checks and fingerprints. We have questionnaires to fill out, reference letters to request, homeland security and immigration approvals to obtain, and loads of paperwork to compile. That will take a few months We hope to have our “dossier” of paperwork completed sometime this spring. Though the Haiti dossier requirements seem more daunting than the ones for Ethiopia, the race is on to turn it all in by March 27—the day back in 2009 that we sent in our Ethiopia dossier! At that point, the road will veer off in a direction completely different from the one we took on our journey to K (we thought 14 months from start to finish was long! Ha!). Our agency will send our dossier to Haiti where we will be matched with a little boy (or maybe even brothers!, we shall see) fitting our parameters (which we are still praying about), whose paperwork will be combined with our paperwork and begin to make its way through the Haitian social workers, government, courts, and finally to the US Embassy. We hope to be matched within a few months after our paperwork gets to Haiti, and expect that it may take another 2-3 years after that for the Haitian courts to legally declare him our son, Haiti to issue him a passport, and the US Embassy to give him a visa to come home. The process may be shorter. It may be longer. It will all be on “Haiti time” and we have faith that it will all be in God’s perfect time!

While we wait. . .
While we wait, we will keep ourselves busy enjoying our girls (while the adoption process may seem long, time with them always seems to fly by!), praying for our son and his first family, preparing our home for the arrival of a little boy, planning trips to visit our son, visiting him!, learning some Kreyol (the official language of Haiti and the language our son will likely speak when he comes home), practicing some Caribbean/West Indies recipes (yum!), partnering with ministries and organizations working in Haiti, and hopefully becoming more involved with our vibrant Haitian community here in Florida. We may even throw in a trip or two to Africa! While our son will always be on our hearts and minds, our goal will be to not be so focused on the destination that we don't fully appreciate the gift of the journey.

Please Come Along With Us on this Journey. . .
We are excited and hopeful about adopting again and are falling deeper in love with Haiti and its people every day. As we move through this process, we are certain that love will deepen and develop into an eternal connection to this beautiful, tragic, mysterious country that will forever be a part of our son’s story and our family’s life. Thank you for sharing this journey with us! Please drop by our blog from time to time to follow our progress, and please keep us in your prayers along the way!

Thankful

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:17:00 +0000

We headed to the Carolinas last week to spend Thanksgiving with my sister L, her husband M and their 3 sweet kiddos.

Earlier this month, L and I compiled a collection of our favorite family holiday dishes. Thursday morning, we got up and got to cookin’ as the Macy’s Parade went by on the television and our children played together outside and crafted Pilgrim, Indian and Turkey hats to wear at the table. I knew my sis and I were both pretty good in the kitchen but I do have to say that I’m still impressed with the meal we prepared! Only 2 cooks, one oven and four burners and everything was delicious and warm at dinner time—and right on time! Turkey, Grandmama’s cornbread dressing (turned out pretty good, but we’re convinced there must have been magic in the scale of her recipe and that old baking pan she used!), mashed potatoes, corn, Mama’s yellow squash casserole, green bean casserole (I decided to add some crumbled bacon to the recipe and loved the results), Mimi Penland’s sweet potato dumplings, roasted pears with caramelized onions, deviled eggs with bacon (yes, we are Southern cooks and believe bacon and butter can make most any dish better!), rolls and sweet tea.

Miss M said a beautiful prayer over our food, thanking God for family and many blessings and for sending His Son Jesus to be our savior, she asked God to help her and her cousins make good choices and many fun memories during our time together. I wish I’d recorded it. It was spontaneous and heartfelt and made our mealtime that much sweeter.

Thursday evening, M had a grand idea for some Thanksgiving night fun. He lit a fire in the pit and projected the movie Elf onto a big sheet he hung from their back patio. We all cuddled next to the fire with mugs of hot chocolate, homemade pumpkin pie and popcorn and roasted marshmallows while we watched the movie. So much fun! Our children had a blast—I bet they’ll never forget it!

Friday morning, Chef Mickey served up pancakes and French toast, and then we headed into Asheville for some leisurely window shopping (no black Friday craziness for us!), street entertainment, and lunch at Early Girl Eatery (to-die-for shrimp and grits! and sauteed trout with pecan butter--yum!), followed by an afternoon nature walk in the mountains.

Saturday, we were really spoiled when the L Family Bed and Breakfast started our day with homemade beignets and café au lait! Events of the day included s trip to Wahalla where thoughtful L gave all the kids flashlights and we explored Stumphouse Tunnel.

We then hiked Waterfall Trail to Isaqueena Falls and hiked the BRRR Boyscout Trail through Heritage Preserve.

After an afternoon of hiking, we stopped in Greenville on the way home for a walk around Falls Park and pizza at the Mellow Mushroom.

Saturday night we relaxed at the house and watched both our Gators and the L's Tigers lose to their biggest rivals (boo!).

Sunday morning, we kicked off Advent season with a too-cute holiday breakfast and the first sighting of the season of the L Family’s Shelf Elf before reluctantly packing up and heading for home.

Thank you LMOE&E for the fun memories and hospitality. We love y’all and look forward to the next time we are able to spend time together!

As we drove home listening to Christmas music, the girls singing along and drawing, D in the driver’s seat, I realized that everything most important precious to me, all my earthly treasures, were there with me in that van. I love my husband and girls so much it hurts. I like to tell them that the ONLY person in the universe who loves them more than me is God. Downhere’s song “How Many Kings” came on the radio and the tears started flowing as I was overwhelmed by how BIG God’s love is and how much He loves us. How much He loves ME! I am so undeserving and so unworthy, yet so amazingly blessed. I am thankful.

Scroll down and pause (II) the background music before playing the video.

Little Girl, You are a Masterpiece!

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 16:57:00 +0000

Our little Miss M turned 8 a couple of weeks ago. I can hardly believe it. Halfway to a driver’s license!?!? Only 10 years ‘til she heads off to college!?!? How can time be going by so fast???

Here are a few pictures from her art-themed birthday party at Picassoz Cup (a local paint-your-own pottery shop):

Artists at Work: Giggly Girls: Celebrating with Sweet Friends: The Birthday Girl and Her Sisters: Mama, Daddy and Birthday Girl:
Have I mentioned here that Miss M is an artist? I'm sure I have and it bears repeating--and a few examples! Here are some of my favorite recent works. I’m so in awe of them—and of her!

Here's a little glimpse of our Miss M at age 8:

She is a natural horseback rider, an animal lover and an avid reader. She has a smile of pure sunshine and a hearty belly laugh. She loves Colorado-style chicken tacos, injera and beef tibs, salmon, asparagus and ordering room service whenever we spend the night at a hotel. She has a huge heart for helping others and a thirst for adventure. She’s begging us to take her to Africa. She wants to learn to snow ski this winter and to surf next summer. She’s growing up into such a little lady, but she’s still (and will always be) our little girl. She hasn’t outgrown cuddles and still asks that Mama or Daddy tickle her back as she drifts off to sleep. She inherited my organized and goal oriented gene and gets excited about things like making grocery lists and agendas, monitoring the balance in her piggy bank and checking off items on her chore chart. Though she and her sisters have their share of spats, she can be so nurturing, gentle and kind to her sisters that it just melts my heart. She prays at night that her classmates and teachers will see the fruits of the spirit in her life and she heads off to school each day eager to learn and be everyone’s friend. God has blessed her with many talents—a beautiful singing voice, the ability to play the piano and violin, an amazing ability to draw, sketch and create. He must have big plans for her life to have blessed her so. I don’t know what we ever did to be so blessed to be her parents—but we are grateful.

My Mom-in-Love recently interviewed Miss M for a blog post. Our big girl had some thoughtful and entertaining responses (questions and answers verbatim):

Mom B: What does love mean?

Miss M: It's a kind of caring, and you feel it. You can tell people it, so they can understand you. If they don't understand it, show them that you love them by kissing them, and giving them a big hug, or doing something special for them. Or show them with your attitude... show them that you love them. I think they will understand your love by then. And if they still don't understand, try to think of other ways that you might show someone that you love them.

Mom B: Why do women wear make-up?

Miss M: Oh, I know this one, because I am a woman! So that they can be attractive to boys sometimes. Or like in plays (theater), girls will wear make-up so that they will stand out to the audience and get the boys attention. And get girls attention too. I like to look good in plays, and I like to look good for my cousins that come to see me. Women wear make-up so that they can look beautiful! You know why I think that? Because my Mama thinks she is old, and she says she needs to look pretty for my Daddy. She said that when she married Daddy she was taking off her make up for bed and thought "Oh No! Maybe he’ll think that he made a mistake that he married me!" THAT is why women wear make-up.

Mom B: Why do boys chase girls?

Miss M: ‘Cause girls are pretty, and because girls are attractive, and the boys want to attract themselves to the girls!

Mom B: So what happens when the boys catch a girl?

Miss M: I've never seen a boy catch a girl EVER before!

Mom B: Why do boys open their mouth with food in it and show it to the girls?

Miss M: Oh I know this one! They do that with pizza and show it to the girls, so little girls will laugh at them! And they WANT to be disgusting eaters! Polite girls don't think it's funny. Some funny girls think it is funny. They keep doing it until they see that the polite girls are keeping their quietness! THEN the boys will close their mouths, I think!

Mom B: Why do women wear high heels? Why does your Mama wear high heels?

Miss M: I don't know... because she doesn't like to wear them... but she wears them anyway!!! If she liked to wear them then, I would KNOW!

Mom B: Why do men shave?

Miss M: So that they can look handsome!

Mom B: What if they do not shave, how do they look then?

Miss M: I don't know ...I just think they don't want to shave. They still look good to me , even if they don't shave!

Mom B: Why do men burp?

Miss M: Men don't burp... little boys do! And I think they burp so that little girls will laugh at them... ‘cause they just want to be disgusting! Men don't burp because they’re grown-ups, and they learned not to burp. Burping is a real bad manner!

Our Miss M is pretty perceptive and has an opinion about everything! She's such a fun little girl! Thank you, God, for letting me be this precious child's mother!

Happy Birthday, MNB! Mama and Daddy Love You to the Moon and All Around the World!

Before you had a name or opened up your eyes,

Or anyone could recognize your face.

You were being formed so delicate in size

Secluded in God’s safe and hidden place.

With your tiny hands and

Little tiny feet

And little eyes that shimmer like a pearl.

He breathed in you a song and to make it all complete

He brought the masterpiece into the world.

You are a masterpiece….

And now you’re growing up your

Life’s a miracle

Every time I look at you,

I stand in awe….

-from Sandi Patti's You are a Masterpiece

Halloween Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:48:00 +0000

Last week, we made a sunny Sunday afternoon visit to the Pumpkin Patch.

The girls searched for just the right one to take to a Pumpkin-Carving Party!

Tonight, we took our Ice Cream Cone, Tinkerbell and Cheetah to the G Family's annual Pre-Trick-or-Treat Gathering--an event we always look forward to! The girls each picked out their own costumes this year and were so excited to wear them!

And then made we the rounds!

Miss M was so attentive and helpful to Miss K. Always the girl in charge, she tactfully corrected anyone who thought K was a cupcake and made sure her sisters used their manners thanked everyone who gave them treats. She turned 8 this week! How is that possible???

Tinkerbell was a perfect choice for our precious, spunky, independent, energetic, adorable, little A. This girl little just melts my heart into a puddle!

I could just eat this ice cream cone right up! K said "jack-o-lantern" when we gave her her treat pail--a word we didn't even know she knew! After each house she would give us a peek at the goodies in her pail and excitedly say "candy more!" as she and her sisters took off for the next house. She had so much fun being "one of the kids" and participating in the all of the action!

We surprised Gabby and Pa:

And ended our evening at MamaToo's, where she had a pot of chili, hot apple cider, gingersnaps and pumpkin fluff waiting for our arrival:

At the end of the night, we carried 3 sleeping girls from the van to their beds. Sweet memories!

Reading is FUNdamental!

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:27:00 +0000

The past few weeks of my life have been consumed by a children’s literacy project that my friend B and I have been chairing through our Junior League. We ordered, inventoried, sorted, stamped, organized, boxed and loaded over 24,000 books for distribution at 11 area schools. B and I both work, so many late night and weekend hours were required! It was an exhausting, and at times, overwhelming, endeavor that included some stressful twists and turns (16,000 of our books were not delivered to us until 3 days prior to the date they were to be delivered to the schools!). With the help of co-chairs willing to go above and beyond our expectations, a flexible and dedicated committee of volunteers, our heroic husbands, some sweet friends, a bit of child labor (this project presented a neat hands-on opportunity to teach the importance of community service), a jar of Advil (moving hundreds of boxes a books is back-breaking work—I’m STILL sore!), a box of band-aids (my arms are covered with paper and cardboard cuts!), gallons of coffee and Red Bull, a little venting, and even a few frustrated tears, we accomplished our mission!

This project became a family affair, so I want to say a BIG public thank you here on our blog to D for lending a hand (and strong, muscular arms!) with the work and for being so supportive of my commitment to this initiative. And to Miss A, Miss K and Miss M for putting up with your frazzled, tired, and just plum worn-out Mommy last week and for being such cheerful little helpers when I toted you along!

Me and my co-chair B. Thanks, B for everything you did--our RIF distributions would not have been a success without you (I wasn’t kidding about the day at the spa—will be sending you some dates, soon!)
Here's a little article we worked up that explains a bit more about our Reading is Fundamental book distribution project:
(Submitted by CJB and BC, RIF Chairs 2011-2012)
Reading is Fundamental (RIF) is the largest children’s literacy non-profit in the United States. The Junior League of Greater Lakeland has maintained the longest running RIF program in the State of Florida. In cooperation with RIF, and with a passion for increasing literacy in our community, the Junior League of Greater Lakeland has operated this national book distribution program in Polk County for 37 years—distributing over 611,000 books to children in our community. The RIF program motivates children to read by delivering free books, literacy resources and reading encouragement to those children and families who need them the most.

Nearly two-thirds of low-income families in the United States own no books. The Junior League of Greater Lakeland has operated the Polk County RIF program under a Federal Grant from the RIF organization where by the organization has matched our funds 3-for-1 for the purchase of books. The program has visited 11-13 area elementary schools with the highest socio-economic need and lowest reading scores. As part of the program, each child at the school has the opportunity to select 3 books of their very own from a wide variety of titles, subjects and reading levels. The program’s goal is to ignite excitement for literacy through the distribution process. As our volunteers visit each school for a “RIF Party”, hundreds of books are displayed, allowing children to explore their interests and make their own choices. The books are free and the moments are priceless, as excited readers show off their selections, pose for pictures, and ask in wide-eyed amazement: “These books are mine to keep? I really don’t have to bring them back to the library?” The entire process is fun and memorable for all involved – kids are energized, parents are encouraged and educators feel a sense of satisfaction.

RIF has been funded under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (SEC.5451 Inexpensive Book Distribution Program for Reading Motivation) by Congress and six Administrations without interruption since 1975. Unfortunately, this past spring, the federal government prepared their budget for this fiscal year, and an outcome was that funding for the national RIF program was cut. The Junior League of Greater Lakeland was awarded a contract to complete the final funded year of the program by December 2011. Over the next two weeks, the Junior League’s RIF Committee will be distributing over 24,000 books at 11 area schools to round out the final distributions under our contract. Our League is currently exploring options to continue its successful book distribution program without the assistance of federal funds through the RIF grant.

Sorting a batch of books at JLGL Headquarters:
Girls hard at work stamping each book with the JLGL logo and a place for the proud new owner to write his/her name):
We even put Miss K to work!
And a few pictures from my distribution at the school where our League held its very first RIF book distribution—37 years ago! Each child got to choose and take home 3 new books of their very own!
This is the FUN part!

Dolphin Tale and Visiting Winter the Dolphin

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 02:23:00 +0000

Saturday night, we took the girls to see the movie Dolphin Tale.

It was a very family-friendly and inspiring movie with a great cast. Morgan Freeman is one of my favorite actors and Harry Connick Jr. is one of my favorite musicians (and not a bad actor, either)! I've always thought Ashley Judd is as cute as she can be. And you know we all fell in love with the movie’s star, Winter the Dolphin!

Since we just happen to live near Winter’s home, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, we surprised the girls on Sunday with a family field trip to pay her a visit! The last time I visited Clearwater Marine Aquarium was around 1988-89 for a 9th grade ECS field trip, and I remember it looking as shabby and dated as it did in the film. Most of the movie was shot on-location at CMA and the producers of the movie financed some refurbishing of the facility and added two new rehab pools. The sprucing-up made a huge difference! But unlike the movie, the aquarium was not purchased by a wealthy hotel owner. It is still a non-profit that owns the land (formerly a water treatment plant) where the facility is situated. CMA is not getting any royalties from the movie, though the film is generating an increase in contributions as people around the world learn about the aquarium, its mission, and its celebrity residents. Daily attendance at the aquarium has quadrupled in the last few weeks since Dolphin Tale premiered! Winter is drawing quite a fan club. If things continue at this rate, CMA is definitely going to need to expand in the coming years to accommodate its guests (as of this weekend, guests were seated in plastic lawn chairs to watch Winter’s demonstration—no benches or bleachers--and they had to go outside of the facility to use port-a-potties as there were no public restrooms inside (definitely NOT a highlight for this public-restroom-avoiding mama! Especially since Kiwi decided this week that she wants to wear big-girl panties and she has to be taken to the potty about once an hour!)).

CMA’s mission is to rescue and rehabilitate marine animals then release them back to the ocean upon recovery. I like that it’s run more like an animal hospital and educational center than a zoo or entertainment venue. The only creatures who remain at the aquarium are the ones who would not be able to survive on their own due to the nature of their injuries or their lack of survival skills. There was so much to do and see!

The girls enjoyed petting the sting rays:

and watching the sharks, fish and turtles swim around in their tanks: Precious profiles:

We met Nicolaus, a dolphin named after St. Nicolaus because he was rescued on Christmas Eve 2002. He was found beached with his mother (who’d passed away) and covered with third degree sunburn and infection. We got to pose for a picture with him as he showed off his high-flying and splashing skills (Miss K couldn’t keep her eyes off of him):

We even took a Behind-the-Scenes tour and learned lots of interesting information about the day-to-day operations of the aquarium and the filming of Dolphin Tale. We were impressed with how much of the movie was true-to-life (the set and many of the details that only locals would pick up on were accurate). It was also interesting to learn about which parts of the movie were “inspired”. Hazel and Sawyer were fictional characters and Winter was actually cared for by a large team rather than a few individuals. She was rescued off of the east coast near Melbourne and was only a 50-pound baby dolphin when found tangled in a crab trap. She was found in the winter (how she got her name), not in the summer, and her tail was not amputated but fell off on its own due to dead tissue. It took her many, many months to gain strength and learn how to swim. But she was a fighter and persevered and taught herself to swim even without a tail. Winter played herself in the movie (she’s a great actress!), and she has been a great inspiration and symbol of courage and hope to amputees and people—particularly children and disabled vets—who wear prosthetic devices. She’s also a big supporter of adoption and the Heart Gallery, an organization close to my heart! A portion of every donation to the Adopt Winter fund goes toward the Heart Gallery and helping children find forever families! Isn't that terrific?!?!

Here are some pictures from our Behind-the-Scenes tour (and some scenes from the movie that were shot in the same locations around the aquarium):
The kitchen and food-prep rooms:

Ingredients for an otter shake: The aquarium's pharmacy: The offices: Dr. Haskett's office (CEO David Yates’ real-life office): Scenes from the movie shot in Mr. Yates' office:

We saw the new rehab pool (it was empty but for a couple of sting rays when we were there). Here are some shots of the Dolphin Tale actors and Winter in it:

We also got to explore the rooms under the new pool where the Dolphin Tale underwater scenes were filmed. A new baby dolphin named Hope was rescued and moved to that pool the day of the Dolphin Tale wrap party, arriving at the aquarium in the middle of the black-tie event! She was only a few months old and was found about 5 miles from where Winter was stranded, attempting to nurse from her mother who’d passed away. Had the filmmakers not constructed the additional pools, there would have been no room for Hope at the aquarium. We had fun watching Hope swim around playing with her bubbles:

Here are some movie shots of Sawyer (played by Nathan Gamble) with Winter in that same pool:

Sawyer looking through one of the windows at Winter: Our girls looking through the window watching Hope: We even saw the surgery room:

Unfortunately, the tour did not conclude with a Morgan Freeman meet-and-greet, though we did get to look through a window and see his autographed picture:

Nor were we able to meet Mr. Connick Jr. . . But we got to see the cool houseboat that was Dr. Haskett and Hazel’s home in the movie (our girls decided they’d like for us to sell our house and move onto a boat—especially one with a crow’s nest):

The girls got to hold Winter’s prosthetic tail (it’s a lot bigger and heavier than you would think!):

And we met Winter’s real-life trainer, Cindy:

Of course, the highlight of the day was seeing Winter up close and IN REAL LIFE! We got to watch her swimming and playing with her pool-mate Panama (a deaf dolphin who was found beached near Panama City and who is nearly 40 years old!). Cindy demonstrated how Winter's prosthetic tail is put on and her daily exercise routine. Winter only needs to wear her prosthetic tail for about 30-60 minutes of exercise a day to strengthen her muscles and keep her vertebrate properly aligned (all Winter photos by our budding photographer, Miss A):

Winter really did whistle like Tweety Bird when she saw Cindy approach! Swimming with her prosthetic tail: Winter and Panama:

The B family gives Dolphin Tale and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium 10 thumbs up! We highly recommend the movie! And no matter where you live, you can click HERE (SeeWinter.Com) and watch Winter and Panama in real-time on their webcams!

Reflections of a Wife of a Minivan-Driving Man

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 22:43:00 +0000

A few years ago, D and I pulled out of the Sarasota Lexus dealership in his new little sportscar. Before we even got to the interstate, a car full of cute college-aged girls pulled up next to us, rolled down their window and flirtatiously told my husband they liked his car. With me sitting right there next to him in the passenger seat! To this day, I wonder if the dealership hired them to do that. I can’t think of a better way to boost the ego of a guy who just spent way too much money on a car.

Fast forward to July 2011, when we determined it was time for D to get a new vehicle. This time around, impressing clients, looking flashy and having lots of horsepower weren’t on the list of criteria. Our family has grown and our priorities have changed. We’re trying to be smarter with our money, saving for another adoption, wanting to be more generous in our giving to charity, and aiming to be completely debt-free in 5 years. We decided to look for something gently used, with low mileage, that didn’t drink too much gas, that was within our budget (which everyone kept telling us was crazily low), and that would give us two vehicles to use for transporting our girls (D often does the drop-offs and pick-ups and enjoys taking the girls on outings).

We did our research, prayed about the decision and then . . . the “Golden Lightning” (as Miss M has nicknamed it) popped up in the Auto Trader listings. While it satisfied our criteria to a tee, the purchase was not without a bit of reluctance on D’s part. He's always had more style than me and been more of a "car person". But from a practical standpoint, it made sense to have two vans. His and Hers. Our good friend who is an expert Dodge mechanic (ironically, he specializes in Vipers and other Dodge racing cars) put the icing on the cake when he told us he can keep this model of van running for 300,000 miles or until our family outgrows it (at which time, I guess we’ll both upgrade to 12-passenger airport shuttle vans)—whichever comes first. Wow!

And so the purchase was made.

You know those stories about people feeling trapped in the wrong body? Well, I’m afraid my husband might feel a bit trapped in the wrong car! I will concede that minivans are not the most stylish vehicles on the road. Why does it seem their designers are going for a rocket or monorail look? I imagine many men might be a bit embarrassed, resentful or put-out about driving a ~~frumpy gold soccer mom van~~ sensible vehicle like the Golden Lightning. But D is taking it all in stride and having fun with it. He’s being such a good sport, and I think that says a lot about his character. He’s embracing his Dad Life. And I love it! (scroll down and pause (II) the background music before playing the video).

Are there really women out there who want any other kind of man?

Last night, I happened to spot D's van as we were all making our way home. I caught up (hey, Miss M didn’t nickname my van the “Silver Bullet Train” for nothin’!) and pulled up alongside them at a red light. D and I rolled down our windows and I told him how much I like his van and how HOT I think he looks driving it. Now, I’m not sure a middle-aged woman in a minivan--weary from a full day of work and an evening sweating away at the Junior League warehouse--has the same effect on the male ego as a convertible full of cute co-eds, but I can say that what I told him was sincere. I am madly in love with my husband’s heart. His dashing good looks are a bonus! Not every man can pull off a minivan, but my husband rocks it!

Every day, I see men looking for affirmation from their careers, their hobbies, their fancy cars and toys, their friends instead of their families and sadly, women other than their wives. I am blessed to be married to a man who stands on God’s Word, puts others before himself, is a good steward of our money, leads our family in faith, is intentional in his parenting, doesn’t take himself too seriously, loves me dearly and, in defining happiness, looks no further than the three precious faces in the back seats of his minivan.

Referral-versary!

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 11:55:00 +0000

Two years ago today. . .

(scroll down and pause (II) the background music before playing the video)

A Visit from Guest Blogger Sarah Lenssen! Ask5for5!

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:22:00 +0000

Guest Blogger: Sarah Lenssen from Ask5for5
Family photos by Mike Fiechtner Photography

Thank you Mrs. B from "This is the Life!" and nearly 150 other bloggers from around the world for allowing me to share a story with you today, during Social Media Week.

A hungry child in East Africa can't wait. Her hunger consumes her while we decide if we'll respond and save her life. In Somalia, children are stumbling along for days, even weeks, on dangerous roads and with empty stomachs in search of food and water. Their crops failed for the third year in a row. All their animals died. They lost everything. Thousands are dying along the road before they find help in refugee camps.

At my house, when my three children are hungry, they wait minutes for food, maybe an hour if dinner is approaching. Children affected by the food crisis in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia aren't so lucky. Did you know that the worst drought in 60 years is ravaging whole countries right now, as you read this? Famine, a term not used lightly, has been declared in Somalia. This is the world's first famine in 20 years.12.4 million people are in need of emergency assistance and over 29,000 children have died in the last three months alone. A child is dying every 5 minutes. It it estimated that 750,000 people could die before this famine is over. Take a moment and let that settle in.

The media plays a major role in disasters. They have the power to draw the attention of society to respond--or not. Unfortunately, this horrific disaster has become merely a footnote in most national media outlets. News of the U.S. national debt squabble and the latest celebrity's baby bump dominate headlines. That is why I am thrilled that nearly 150 bloggers from all over the world are joining together today to use the power of social media to make their own headlines; to share the urgent need of the almost forgotten with their blog readers. Humans have the capacity to care deeply for those who are suffering, but in a situation like this when the numbers are too huge to grasp and the people so far away, we often feel like the little we can do will be a drop in the ocean, and don't do anything at all.

When news of the famine first hit the news in late July, I selfishly avoided it. I didn't want to read about it or hear about it because I knew I would feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable. I wanted to protect myself. I knew I would need to do something if I knew what was really happening. You see, this food crisis is personal. I have a 4-year-old son and a 1 yr-old daughter who were adopted from Ethiopia and born in regions now affected by the drought. If my children still lived in their home villages, they would be two of the 12.4 million. My children: extremely hungry and malnourished? Gulp. I think any one of us would do anything we could for our hungry child. But would you do something for another mother's hungry child?

My friend and World Vision staffer, Jon Warren, was recently in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya--the largest refugee camp in the world with over 400,000 people. He told me the story of Isnino Siyat, 22, a mother who walked for 10 days and nights with her husband, 1 yr-old-baby, Suleiman, and 4 yr.-old son Adan Hussein, fleeing the drought in Somalia. When she arrived at Dadaab, she built the family a shelter with borrowed materials while carrying her baby on her back. Even her dress is borrowed. As she sat in the shelter on her second night in camp she told Jon, "I left because of hunger. It is a very horrible drought which finished both our livestock and our farm." The family lost their 5 cows and 10 goats one by one over 3 months, as grazing lands dried up. "We don't have enough food now...our food is finished. I am really worried about the future of my children and myself if the situation continues."

Will you help a child like Baby Suleiman? Ask5for5 is a dream built upon the belief that you will.

That something I knew I would need to do became a campaign called #Ask5for5 to raise awareness and funds for famine and drought victims. The concept is simple, give $5 and ask five of your friends to give $5, and then they each ask five of their friends to give $5 and so on--in nine generations of 5x5x5...we could raise $2.4 Million! In one month, over 750 people have donated over $25,000! I set up a fundraiser at See Your Impact and 100% of the funds will go to World Vision, an organization that has been fighting hunger in the Horn of Africa for decades and will continue long after this famine has ended. Donations can multiply up to 5 times in impact by government grants to help provide emergency food, clean water, agricultural support, healthcare, and other vital assistance to children and families suffering in the Horn.

I need you to help me save lives.
It's so so simple; here's what you need to do:
1.Donate $5 or more on this page
2.Send an email to your friends and ask them to join us.
3.Share #Ask5for5 on Facebook and Twitter!

A hungry child doesn't wait. She doesn't wait for us to finish the other things on our to-do list, or get to it next month when we might have a little more money to give. She doesn't wait for us to decide if she's important enough to deserve a response. She will only wait as long as her weakened little body will hold on...please respond now and help save her life. Ask 5 for 5.

Thank you on behalf of all of those who will be helped--you are saving lives and changing history.

p.s. Please don't move on to the next website before you donate and email your friends right now. It only takes 5 minutes and just $5, and if you're life is busy like mine, you probably won't get back to it later. Let's not be a generation that ignores hundreds of thousands of starving people, instead let's leave a legacy of compassion. You have the opportunity to save a life today!

Nshima, Beans and Other Things (Zambia Journal: Part 4, and more)

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:32:00 +0000

Wiphan’s feeding program provides Wiphan students with one meal on every school day. It's a huge benefit to being enrolled at the school.

The children who attend school in the morning eat after their classes; the children who attend school in the afternoon eat before their classes. I was hanging out at the Mapalo campus one morning when the afternoon bunch started showing up. Their green uniforms and black shoes distinguish them as Wiphan kids from the tens of other children who are not able to attend school but who spend their days playing around the schoolyard. Little friends engaged in conversation. Girls formed a circle to play hand games. A few boys kicked around a soccer ball made of plastic bags and twine.

When it was time for lunch, a teacher rounded up the students and they ran to the school building and formed a line in front of the big pots of nshima (pronounced shee-mah) and beans, digging their bowls or plates out of their bookbags or plastic grocery bags that many of them were using for bookbags.

Scoops of nshima and spoonfuls of beans were dished into their bowls and the children found places to sit and eat amongst their classmates. The servings looked big, much bigger than what I would put on my girls’ plates. But there were no leftovers. For many of these children, this is their ONLY meal of the day.

Before heading to their classrooms, the children walk over to the community well situated on the campus to rinse off their plates so they will be ready for the next day's meal.

The little girl pictured above is G, one of our family’s sponsored children. I watched her and the other Wiphan kids at the Sinia campus line up to eat one day. One of G’s little friends realized that she’d forgotten her bowl. I watched G ask for a little extra and explain that she was sharing with her friend. They sat down, the two bowls between them, and proceeded to bow their heads and fold their hands. G prayed. She finished her prayer with the sign of the cross. It was a such a precious moment. I was so touched by my sassy little G’s generosity in sharing with her friend. I held back tears as I observed her heartfelt thankfulness for such a simple meal. This picture reminds me of the one my parents had in our dining room of an old man praying over his bread and soup. I want to frame it as a reminder to me to give thanks for every small blessing. And to pray for G. As I sat with G and her friend, I noticed a little boy putting a handful of nshima into the hand of a non-Wiphan child who was reaching through a small hole in the wall surrounding the Sinia school buildings. Oh, if only Wiphan had funds sufficient to feed and educate every child in the compounds. There is such a need.

Since I’ve been home, I’ve been trying to be smarter about my grocery shopping and meal portioning, but it still seems every week I throw out so much spoiled fruit and uneaten leftovers. I think of the Wiphan children in their food line, the non-Wiphan kids hungrily looking on, the widow who scraped the leftovers from my dinner plate into her purse to take home to her children, and the famine happening right now in the horn of Africa. . . and I feel so guilty and wasteful and undeservingly blessed. D and I are both in that uncomfortable processing, reverse culture-shock mode. I think we’ve been putting ourselves in that mode so often over the past couple of years that it’s beginning to be our normal. It’s a frustrating place to be. I'd rather be here than oblivious or indifferent, though. Our eyes have been opened, but there’s still so many questions we have that will never be answered this side of heaven.

Our daughters are so young and innocent and live such blessed, secure and sheltered little lives. There are a lot of things that we believe they are still too tender to be exposed to unnecessarily. I am grateful that my children have thus far been untouched by the cruelty of death, disease, and starvation. I wish that all children could have childhoods as carefree and full of joy and sunshine and laughter as they do. At the same time, we want to instill in them a passion for the kingdom and for serving those less fortunate. We actively involve them in corresponding with our sponsored children and they are always interested in hearing stories and seeing pictures from our mission trips. And they are developing an awareness of poverty out of their interest in learning about the places we've been and the lives of children they feel like they "know". This picture from my Zambia trip made a big impact on both of our big girls:

They now pray regularly for “the little girl with the doll head”. With her in mind, they initiated a household donation drive and piled our pool table with some of their treasured toys they want us to send to Africa (any logistics help would be appreciated!):

Their sweet little hearts are definitely empathetic when it comes to children not having a mommy and daddy to take care of them or toys to play with.

I wanted to initiate a conversation with them about poverty and explore what the Lord is doing in their thoughts and their little hearts. I decided to make a typical Zambian meal for dinner. As we set the table, we sang "There's No One, There's No One Like Jesus", my favorite Zambian worship song. As we ate, we talked about Victoria Falls, nature and some interesting Zambian cultural tidbits and traditions. It's important to me that our girls see the beauty and appreciate the good things about Africa and that they don't grow up only seeing the negatives.

Nshima and ndiwo is a typical Zambian meal. Nshima is the Zambian staple food made of corn flour (“mealie meal”). It cooks very similar to grits, but is a finer grind and tastes like the masa part of a tamale. When done, it has the appearance of mashed potatoes, but is thick enough that bits can be broken off into your hand. Because it’s rather dry, nshima is usually served with some sort of moist or juicy side dish called ndiwo or “relish”. The most common relish is chilemba, or boiled beans. Sometimes there will also be a vegetable side dish called ifisashi, made of collard greens or another green called rape and peanut powder (for our meal, I simply used Glory brand canned mixed greens (turnip, collard and kale), which I thought were close enough and would give the children something on their plates they were familiar with). In Zambia, if it’s a special occasion, chicken or goat or other meat will be served, and maybe some fried caterpillars or termite ants on the side (For real, y’all, caterpillars! Next year, I’m gonna sample some!). While looking for recipes, I stumbled upon THIS website, which has a lot of interesting information about nshima, including the significance of nshima in Zambian culture, history and politics.

How to Make Nshima and Chilemba:

Ingredients (serves 4-6 people):
4 cups dry beans (I used pinto, you could also use light red kidney)
2 tomatoes, chopped (I used 2 small tomatoes and ½ can drained diced tomatoes)
1 white onion, chopped
1 small bag plain white cornmeal (I used approx. 3 cups)
1 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. cooking oil
Water

Chilemba:

If you haven’t already sorted through your beans , do so and remove all halves, rocks, discolored, etc.. ones (always amazing what you find in a bag of beans!). Put 4 cups of beans in 4 quarts of water with oil and salt and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring occasionally, for about 5 hours, adding water as needed to keep from drying out or burning. Whatever you do, don't let your beans burn! After about 5 hours, when beans are about done, stir in tomato and onion.

Cook for 10 minutes, then cover and move to the beans to a back burner (they will stay warm covered) to give yourself plenty of room to make the nsima.

Nshima:

Pour 5 cups of water into a medium pot and bring to boil as you add 1 1/2 cups of cornmeal, one tablespoon at a time, while stirring continuously. Keep stirring slowly until the mixture begins to thicken (will look a little like cream of wheat), boil and bubble. Turn the heat to medium, cover the pot, and let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Cautiously remove the lid. Slowly, a little at a time, pour into the pot the other 1/2 cup of corn meal and briskly stir until smooth and thick. Stir vigorously and continuously, adding more cornmeal to thicken.

I got to observe the Mapalo campus “lunch lady” making nshima one morning. She cooked in big pots over an open flame and used what looked like a wooden oar to stir. It takes 2-3 hours of stirring to cook a pot of nshima big enough to serve all of the Wiphan students.

It’s hard work, but she made it look easy:

Then she offered to let me have a try. I put all of my weight into my stirring motion; the nshima was so thick that it nearly lifted me off the ground! Everyone got a good laugh.

Ahh. . . this pot is MUCH easier to stir but still a lot of work!

As the nshima cooks, sprinkle a little more corn meal until desired thickness is obtained. The nshima should be very thick (no liquid remaining) and smooth (no lumps). Cover, turn the heat off and let the nshima sit on the stove for another 2 to 3 minutes. Serve hot.

With clean hands, tear bits of nshima off and use them to scoop up the ndiwo. Yum!

We’re trying to teach them to be adventurous eaters—often encouraging them with “if you want to go to Africa, you need to be willing to try new foods.” Miss K and Miss A were both sports and took bites of everything, but then requested a banana and an orange, respectively, to round out their meals. Miss M cleaned her plate and announced “Well, I’m one meal closer to going to Africa!”

As we ate our Zambian meal, our conversation turned to our sponsored Wiphan kids, G and C. What their lives are like and how Wiphan is helping them. We talked about all of the children in the compounds that are not able to attend school and who don’t get the one meal a day that the Wiphan students get, and what has to happen for Wiphan to be able to serve those children, too. We talked about our sponsored Compassion kids, E, A and T. We talked about James 1:27 and what it means to visit widows and orphans. And what our family can do to put James 1:27 in action—in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia, Haiti, and in Lakeland, Florida and wherever else God might lead us.

It was a fun dinner and a beautiful conversation. I love how my girls feel personally invested in the projects and organizations D and I are involved with. I love their excitement about new cultures and new people and how they care for and feel connected with children all over the globe. And I love their compassionate hearts and enthusiastic desire to serve others and change their world. I love that they are willing to part with their beloved toys and that they want us to adopt again so that an orphan can have a family. I pray that I will learn not to cling too tightly to things of this world, money or dreams of my own but always have an open heart and a willingness to go where the Lord tells me to go and do what the Lord tells me to do. I pray that the enormity of poverty and the orphan crisis never makes me cynical or complacent and that God will instill in me a pure and simple desire like my girls have to do what I can do. They inspire me and make me hopeful for the future.

As you all know, this is a time of terrible famine in the Horn of Africa, a region that includes Miss K's birthplace of Ethiopia. This has been something at the forefront of our minds and our prayers over the past few months. My cousin D is there right now, on the border of Somalia and Ethiopia, and he is witnessing some pretty horrible stuff. Anyone who grew up with me remembers the Ethiopian famine of the 80's. Well, this one is even worse. This is the worst famine in 60 years. Mothers should never have to watch their children die, much less to watch them starve to death and have to leave their precious bodies alongside a dusty road. It’s so unfair and unjust and everyone should be doing something, whatever they can, to help. And if we all do a little, together we can do a lot. Tomorrow, I’m going to have a guest blogger here to share something you can do to help. I hope you’ll stop back by and participate.

Epilogue: When I finished writing this post, I read back over it and thought how weird it was to one minute be talking about feeding programs and famine and the next minute be sharing recipes and pictures of our abundant table. I think most bloggers would have broken it up into a couple of different posts, one serious, one lighthearted. I decided to leave it all in one as a pretty accurate representation of the struggle that seems to be constantly going on inside me between wanting to enjoy the blessings in my life while at the same time being so burdened for those who suffer and frustrated about all the things that are so terribly wrong with the world.

D's Trip to Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 21:36:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, D had the opportunity to be a part of AGCI/Embrace Missions’ first team to Haiti. It was an amazing trip for him. The team was comprised of a great group of people, including two gals who were also a part of his Rwanda team last year. In comparison to our Africa trips, it was an easy one, too—only an hour flight to Miami and then an hour fifteen flight to Haiti. D returned home with a love for a new country and a desire for our family to be involved in efforts to make a difference in the lives of orphaned children in Haiti. D was particularly inspired by Dan Jensen’s work with Faith Missions International and Gift of God Orphanage. Sadly, the Haitian adoption process is so lengthy (the 2-3 year wait from referral to visa is daunting to many prospective adoptive parents) and there is not an established domestic foster care system or adoption program in-country, that many children who would be available for adoption are raised in institutional rather than family settings. Most of the children at Gift of God are older (many lost their families as a result of flooding from Hurricane Jeanne in 2004); because their prospects of adoption are unlikely, Gift of God is operated with more of a "forever home" approach, with a goal of raising them to be educated, equipped and prepared to help make a difference in their nation. While Gift of God is one of the best children's homes in Haiti, the team also visited an "average" Haitian orphanage--a tent community for 30 kids set up in the back yard of a big house. They had a building before the earthquake but lost everything. Now the landlord is evicting them. Such a sad situation. The team was also able to assist with site preparations for a new orphanage facility being constructed by Global Orphan Hope and had the opportunity to tour Project Medishare - a full blown trauma hospital set up as a field hospital by University of Miami medical school. At the Project, nurses volunteer alongside wonderful Haitian medical professionals providing top quality care to primarily pediatric patients.

Every time D leaves to go on any trip without me, I make sure he’s armed with a battery-charged camera and I holler “take lots of pictures!” as we say our goodbyes at the concourse. But he's such a reluctant photographer, more of a savor-the-moment kind of guy. While in Haiti, he decided to take a new approach to satisfying my request. He handed off his point-and-shoot to the kids at the orphanage to “capture their lives through their eyes”. Pretty clever, huh? Well, here's a sample of the 55 pictures he returned home with:

I'm reminded of the Everybody Loves Raymond episode where Robert designed the wedding invitations. This will not, however, put an end to my requests for photos from his trips. Thankfully, several members of D's team were generous in sharing their pictures. Here are a few that probably give a better idea of the trip. Beauty amidst destruction is the best description that comes to mind:

The following article was published in the Embrace newsletter. I hope they don’t mind me dropping it into our blog, as it will save me from having to nag D for blog material (D, you lucked out this time--other people provided the trip pictures AND the re-cap!). D, by the way, is the “father of three” referenced in the article.

Haiti: 19 Months Later By Frank Betzer, Development Director, AGCI Photos: Special thanks to Faith Missions International's Gift of God Orphanage in Port au Prince, Haiti.

(August 2011) As our mission team drove through the streets of Port-au-Prince, wet and cold from the drenching rains that poured through the screened sides of our truck, a hush fell over everyone. Just moments before, we shared stories of our experiences during this all-too-brief trip to Haiti. We marveled at the beauty of terraced hillsides, steep valleys, and homes perched atop one another in the mountains outside the capital.

But as we passed by crumpled buildings and row upon row of tents, some emblazoned with "US AID" and others labeled "PRC" (People's Republic of China), we were reminded that our discomfort was only momentary. Soon, we would be back at our guest house and able to take shelter from the rain. We would put on clean, dry clothes, eat a hot meal, and sleep in a comfortable bed. We wouldn't be wondering if our few possessions would be swept away by the next rain.

The Haitian tent cities remain intact, a grim reminder that more than 600,000 Haitians still have no place to call home since the January 2010 earthquake. A tropical rainstorm had us cringing at the site of water-soaked children and adults seeking shelter amidst overflowing gutters and alleys strewn with garbage. Starvation, violence, sex trafficking, disease, and worst of all, utter hopelessness cried out to us from the acres of gray tents crammed into what is quickly becoming a permanent setting.

As one of our team members, a father of three, later expressed so movingly, "I saw myself in that place, with my little girls huddled in a tent corner trying to stay dry and I heard them whisper, 'When will Daddy make it better?'"

When will it be better? Haiti was already the poorest country in the western hemisphere; the 2010 earthquake only made it much, much worse. An estimated 10,000 NGOs (non-government organizations) work in Haiti, bringing food and water, temporary shelter, sanitation, and some degree of public safety. But life is at a level few of us would consider acceptable, except in the most dire circumstances, and then only for a few days. The children and adults of Haiti have lived in tents for 19 months.

Yet amidst the abject poverty of Haiti, we also experienced pockets of hope. At Faith Mission International's Gift of God Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, we were greeted by fifty joyful children who are well loved and cared for. They receive food and shelter, education and vocational training, and an understanding of Christ's love that is alive and evident in each of them.

We approached the orphanage loaded with expectations of teaching the children a few songs. They greeted us at the gates with melodious voices carrying off harmonies and rhythms that were full and enchanting. We brought instruments, games, crafts, and toys to teach them how to play. They showed us how to share, enjoy one another's accomplishments, and celebrate the moment with little, rather than always needing abundance. Team members came prepared to provide basic vocational information and training and were received with great appreciation; we were given a tour of the on-site bakery where the older kids learn much-needed skills and the value of work. We had prepared ourselves by learning a few words of Creole so we could tell them Jesus loves them. They told us in Creole, and some in English, that they know Jesus, and that He loves us too.

Gift of God Orphanage is one of the best orphanages in Haiti. Yet we left knowing there are things we can do to make a difference for the children. Future AGCI teams hope to provide a new outdoor kitchen to replace the two charcoal grates where all the children's meals are prepared. Team members will be asked to build a wall in the girls' dormitory and construct cubbies so that the children will have space to keep their few personal belongings. Other simple projects will emerge as we continue to visit. But mostly we will return to teach and to be taught, to share and receive, and to love and be loved.

We were also present at the beginning stages of a new orphanage in Haiti. AGCI's new board chair, Mike Anderson, a team from Global Orphan Hope, and Embrace Missions team members helped string construction lines to mark the foundation and gathered to pray over the site and its leaders. This new home is scheduled to open in 2012 and provide care for fifty infants, toddlers, and children with special needs. Everyone was moved by the magnitude of the moment—the sheer responsibility of stepping out in faith to make a difference for some of Haiti's 300,000 orphans. At least for some of the children in Haiti who wonder, "When will it be better?" the answer is soon, very soon.

Zambia Journal, Part 3: A Trip to the City Council Building

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 12:48:00 +0000

As I may have shared in a prior post or two, in addition to being a mommy, wife and occasional blogger, I also practice law. I’m a partner in the real estate transactions group at a large law firm. These days that means fewer new financings, new construction and development work and more dealing with distressed hotels, shopping centers and apartment complexes, receiverships, loan workouts, modifications and restructures. Did you just yawn? Are your eyes glazing over? Or are you thinking about a good lawyer joke you’ve heard lately? Don’t worry, I’m used to it. I find that it’s generally only my clients that (sometimes) appreciate my expertise and only other dirt lawyers that share my enthusiasm for such matters. But this is the profession I believe God has called me to. For now. And it seems I’m pretty good at it. And while I enjoy my work and my career has been a blessing to my family in many ways, I must admit that I’ve had second thoughts about my skill set in the context of serving others in Africa (on either a short-term or long-term basis). I’ve wondered how what I spend so much of my life doing is relevant to the kingdom and God’s plan for my life. It sometimes seems as if I’d be so much better suited to live, work and serve others, particularly in a developing country, if I’d gone to medical school or Bible school or obtained a teaching certification.

I remember reading over the itinerary for the Wiphan trip and thinking “What am I going to do?” I don’t have experience as an educator or school administrator to draw upon in discussions with the teachers and staff, I don’t have experience in the fields for which the widows are being trained, I can’t physically evaluate the children and make recommendations for their various ailments (of which we saw many), and the Lord knows it’s going to be hard for me to help put on a program when I “H” public speaking and can’t sing or dance, though my lack of abilities in that area may have some value as entertainment (mercy, was I uncomfortable when those widows tied that sash around me and stepped back to see my moves! There I stood, shaking my hips in a very non-African fashion, trying to have fun but secretly wishing either that the floor would open up and swallow me or that the heavens would open up and rapture me. Good Lord.) Of course, loving on the children comes easy and naturally for me, and I was willing to be flexible and helpful wherever needed and to be a team player, but I also hoped the Lord would give me an opportunity to contribute something special and particular to me as a member of the team.

Our team was comprised of such a diverse group of people--high school and college students, athletes, successful CEOs and businessmen, former teachers, an engineer, a CPA, a children’s minister--all uniquely gifted and having a heart to serve. It was a fantastic group of people and it was just amazing to see how, over the course of the trip, God opened doors for each person to draw upon their personal talents and experiences as they served. Wiphan's new data entry and typing program is the direct result of one Atlanta businessman's prayer to use his talents for kingdom purposes. And who would have guessed that, several days into the trip, lo and behold, Wiphan had some real estate law issues! At one campus, someone had erected a building on land that Wiphan believed it owned. At the other campus, there was concern that Wiphan might not have any legal right to use the “football pitch” (soccer field) enjoyed by the students. And in addition to that, as part of Wiphan’s partnership with TuliOne, they were interested in purchasing a plot within the compound for construction of a new TuliOne home. There was a need for someone to help Wiphan Zambia’s administrators navigate the various offices at the City Council building to determine what needed to be done to take care of these issues and assist with putting together an action plan to get everything done properly. How cool and exciting was that opportunity??? To me, VERY!!! So, with the understanding that I was NOT licensed to practice law in Zambia and would NOT be acting as Wiphan’s attorney (I wouldn’t be a lawyer if I didn’t include some disclaimers!), but that I may be able to assist in identifying issues and asking the right questions, on Thursday morning, I hopped in the car with two of Wiphan Zambia’s administrators and headed to the City Council building.

I learned so much that day! About gazetted and non-gazetted lands, title deeds and land cards, and how the government at any time might decide to “revisit the system” and change the rules. It was all so fascinating! I was the only non-Zambian at the Ndola City Council building that day. And one of the few women in the building as well. There were a number of women performing clerical-type work but only maybe one or two others (out of tens of people we saw) who actually appeared to be there “on business”. I didn’t want to stand out any more than I already was by whipping out my camera and taking pictures, but I REALLY wanted to get a few pictures, so I covertly snapped a few shots with my phone:

The Deed Registry Office:

Sample new and improved form of Land Card following Ndola’s recent “revisiting” of the system: Sample Certificate of Title: "CCR"s: Ndola's "Public Records":

On the desk of the man who told us that an application for title deed of gazetted government land (the “soccer pitch”) would take “about 3 months” to process (the stack of papers was about 3 inches higher than what I could fit in the photo; judging by the fading and the fraying of the edges, some of those files had been there for quite some time!):

3 months from what point in the stack? Gotta love “Africa time”!

There were no lines, appointments, or computers. I did see some old-school typewriters and people using carbon to make copies. There were papers and files all over the place (I have to add that, just this week, my teammate Kristin--who will be in Zambia through December--accompanied one of the Wiphan Zambia administrators back to City Council to follow up on some of the issues we looked into. They asked him if he could remember where HE last saw the Wiphan file to help them locate it!)

It’s been almost 2 months now and I am happy to report that progress is being made on the action plan! A plot of land has been purchased near the Sinia campus and construction of a brand new TuliOne home is underway! When complete, TuliOne will employ a widow and pay her to live in the home and care for 4-5 of Wiphan’s orphans that otherwise would be on the streets. Click HERE to learn more about TuliOne. And click HERE to visit the blog of my teammate Kristin. You can follow the construction of the TuliOne home HERE.

I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to help Wiphan’s administrators answer some questions and to play a small part in making some of Wiphan’s visions a reality. I don’t want this journal entry to seem like I’m tooting my horn, because my role really was a small one. But to me, the fact that there were some real estate issues was a little “God wink”– a reassurance that I’m on the right track and that He sees my heart. I don’t know why God hasn’t called me to be a stay-at-home mom or to move to Africa or to run a charity. Maybe one day He will. Those things would be right up my alley and they would surely be a part of MY plan. But maybe HIS plan involves me having a long career as an attorney, and for me to spend many crazy years as a working mom (Lord, help me!). All I know is that I am certain that for now, I am where He wants me to be. And as far as the future is concerned, knowing that "God doesn't call the equipped, but equips those He calls" gives me a sense of peace that He will take care of the details required to manifest His plans for my life. It’s not my job to know what the future holds, but to walk with Him each day, to be joyful where I’m at, and to give my all in everything I do. And though I know all this, it's good to be reminded every now and then to trust in the Lord and in His timing and to believe that His plan for me is bigger and better than—and probably looks nothing like—anything I could plan for myself. And I thank God for giving me that reminder in Zambia.

Zambia Journal, Part 2: The Value of Visiting

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 19:15:00 +0000

“Pure religion, undefiled before God is this: To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27

After church on Sunday, our team split up into small groups. Each group had a list of widows, orphans and vulnerable children who attend Wiphan's schools and training programs, and each was accompanied by someone from Wiphan Zambia who knew where the widows and children lived within the compounds and who spoke Bemba and could act as an interpreter if needed. And off we went. To visit.

The rest of the day Sunday and most of the afternoon Monday were spent moving from mud home to mud home to mud home, venturing deep into the Sinia and Mapalo compounds, visiting with Wiphan's widows and the families and caretakers of Wiphan’s orphans and vulnerable children.

It is not every day that muzungus venture into the compounds. And many people who live in the compounds have never ventured out. As we meandered through the narrow dirt paths, we accumulated quite a following of curious children, singing and acting silly, giggling at the sight of the us, and striking poses in the hopes we'd snap their pictures. Toddlers who'd obviously never seen people as pale as us were alternately confused, frightened or thought we looked hilariously funny. I imagined we must look a bit like aliens with our pale skin, strange accents and unusually colored and textured hair.

As we made our way though the compounds, widows who weren’t on our list came out and beckoned us to visit their homes as well. In Zambia, it is a great honor to have visitors in one’s home, no matter how humble or sparsely furnished it might be. These women are proud to be able to provide shelter for their loved ones. Several requested that we take photos of them in or in front of their homes. These women have few pictures of themselves and their families; hopefully the next traveling group will be able to give them hard copies of the ones we took.

Their homes and yard areas were swept and tidy, and were as clean as possible given that their yards and floors consist of dusty red dirt and their homes are constructed of mud. The homes were pitch black inside, but our eyes adjusted as we sat and talked (only when we took a flash photo could we see what the room really looked like, though). Paraffin candles are reserved for true emergencies.

The construction is rough and very basic, but for the most part, the homes are functional. No one has electricity. Some homes have radios or TVs modified to run on battery power. Several entrepreneurial compound residents generate incomes by offering battery charging services.

None of the homes have running water. Each of the Wiphan campuses has a well situated on it that families in the compounds are permitted to use. There is no sewer system, but the latrines are well maintained and did not smell. Many homes had holes in the roofs which would need to be covered or patched before the rainy season, but several children told us that they had to sleep standing up when it rained because the floors of their homes would get so wet and muddy.

Zambian culture is not as sensitive as ours when it comes to talking about personal matters or touchy subjects. Zambians tend to be more open, honest and direct in their communicating, and few topics seem to be off-limits. This can be a bit awkward at times, as we are not accustomed to being asked personal questions by strangers (Zambian culture works both ways!) or to having someone we’ve only known for 5 minutes open up to us about their most difficult struggles or painful experiences. As Americans, we are conditioned to hide our vulnerabilities and keep mum about hard things that have happened to us. We're expected to be survivors. We're supposed to always be just fine. But cutting through superficiality and small talk in visiting with Zambians made our conversations so informative and our time with these families so much more precious.

They told us about their daily lives--where they get their water, where they cook and sleep, whether their homes are owned or rented. We asked about the reed mats, mosquito nets, blankets, door locks, uniforms and shoes that each Wiphan student receives upon enrollment (most were quick to show them to us but it was discovered that a few caretakers had sold or traded them). And they shared their stories, how they came to be widowed, orphaned, residents of the compound, students at Wiphan. Most of the widows' and orphans' stories involved tragic circumstances—death, illness, abandonment, abuse, land grabbing (in Zambia, it is not uncommon when a man dies for his side of the family to take his property and all of his possessions, leaving his wife and children destitute—in fact, this scenario was at the very heart of Wiphan’s beginning). Our discussions ranged from humorous to heartbreaking to infuriating to inspiring.

Spending time with Wiphan's widows, orphans and vulnerable children gave our team insight into how they may be better served. Those days we spent visiting gave us the opportunity to pray for and love on them, and speak truth and words of encouragement to them. These things are perhaps more meaningful to them than an education or employment. To know that one is loved by others, and loved by God, to be reminded of His faithfulness, to find comfort in His arms and hope for the future—is priceless!

"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40

As we made our way though the compounds, I reflected on how this verse goes hand-in-hand with James 1:27.

Visiting and serving have interpersonal components. They are not things that can be delegated. They happen face to face. Visiting widows and orphans and serving the least of these are not things that can be accomplished with a charitable contribution (though supporting organizations that are focused on these things is a good use of money you have been blessed to be able to give!). They require something even more difficult to part with than one's money or earthly treasure. They require giving of yourself and your heart.

Visiting widows and orphans and serving the least of these doesn't require you to travel to a developing country across the world. Though we have followed our hearts to serve in other countries, part of the change in D and me as a result of these trips has been a new commitment to serve the widows, orphans and least of these in our own community--our widowed grandmothers, the foster kids living at our local children's home, the single mother in our neighborhood who, though not a widow by reason of death, is struggling to support her children who, practically speaking, have been abandoned and are fatherless. There are women (and men!) all around us who need to know that they are Christ's bride. And children who need to know the love of a Father who can restore what has been ruined, heal what has been hurt, free what has been bound, and redeem what has been lost.

The Bible tells us that by visiting orphans and widows we are practicing pure religion and by serving the least of these, we are serving God. And something neat happens when you do these things. The Lord shows up! He meets you there and you experience HIS love in a way so real, so intimate, and so overwhelming. Your eyes are opened to the beauty in people overlooked by society. You see them with God's eyes, as His precious, valued and beloved children. And it changes YOU! The value of visiting is that it opens your eyes to see His amazing grace and His magnificent and unchanging love for you in a powerful way!

I began my trip to Zambia with hopes of making an impact on the lives of widows and orphans in Ndola. The thing I didn't realize was just how much the Lord was going to impact me. In the darkness of a mud hut, God opened my eyes to more of Himself than what I ever thought possible. I experienced His love in the eyes of hundreds of orphans and dozens of widows. And this love has transformed me.

Back to School!

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:40:00 +0000

Wow, our summer went by fast! This week we were back to school! We're easing back into our bedtime and morning routines (which got a little crazier for me at the end of the week when Mr. B left for HAITI!) and looking forward to all of the growing and learning our little ones are going to do this year.

Miss M started second grade on Monday. She loves school and says that second grade is her favorite grade yet!

Also on Monday, Miss K started a three-morning-a-week preschool. She feels like such a big girl walking around wearing a backpack (which she picked out herself at Target). She walks to class with great enthusiasm, but telling us goodbye has not been easy. We've had a few tears--and that includes Mom-Mom as well as K! It's a big transition for us! K's teacher assured us that K's tears have only lasted a couple of minutes and that once we're out of sight, she's a sweet and smiley participant in all the class activities. I'm told the tears will stop and the drop-off will get easier. I sure hope so, because it breaks my heart to leave those big, teary eyes!

Miss A got a couple of extra days of vacation (which she was actually a little bummed about since she was so excited about school) and started kindergarten on Wednesday! She has the same kindergarten teacher Miss M had and who we all just adored. She's is finally one of Mrs. H's little bears and is just as thrilled as she can be about it.

Here are their "first day" pictures, and their responses to a little interview I gave them at the breakfast table this morning:

Miss M
Second Grade
Age: 7
Favorite Colors: peach and brown, the colors of my family
Favorite Song: Set the World on Fire by Britt Nicole
Favorite Food: cheeseburgers (from Wendy's or Pa's grill)
Favorite Book: any book about horses
Favorite Movies: Spirit and Flicka 2
Favorite Thing About School: learning new things and art
Things I Love: God, my family and horses
What I Want to Be When I Grow Up: a horse doctor and ranch worker

Miss A
Kindergarten
Age: 5
Favorite Color: green
Favorite Song: Walk on the Water by Britt Nicole
Favorite Food: chicken tenders
Favorite Book: Jesus Storybook Bible
Favorite Movie: Tangled
Favorite Thing About School: playing
Things I Love: my family, God and Jesus
What I Want to Be When I Grow Up: I'll tell you when I grow up

Miss K
Preschool
Age: 2
Favorite Color: paper
(I think she thought I was asking what was her favorite thing TO color)
Favorite Song: Hold Me by Jamie Grace
Favorite Food: bananas
Favorite Book: Brown Bear, Brown Bear
Favorite Movie: Woody and Buzz
Favorite Thing About School: backpack and music
Things I Love: my hair, Mom-Mom, Daddy
What I Want to Be When I Grow Up: ride a horse

There goes my baby, with a backpack as big as she is. *Sniff-Sniff*

Zambia Journal, Part 1: The Journey and the Welcome

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 17:30:00 +0000

We took the girls to Mom and Dad B’s house Thursday morning and set off for Tampa. D and I ran some errands and had brunch at Sophie’s (a darling little French patisserie in Hyde Park). Then it was off to the airport! D helped me check my bags and walked me as far as he could before we had to do our hugs and kisses and say our goodbyes. As I people-watched in the security line, a familiar face caught my eye. It was my friend L! Back in our before-kids years, D and I were active with our church’s youth group and taught a high school girls’ Sunday School class. We adored L and her twin sister N. They come from a sweet, sweet family that we grew to love—and still love! N worked as our nanny for several years before she got married (their brother’s wife is our current nanny!). We keep in touch through Facebook and our mutual connections, but there’s nothing like catching up in person! Turned out L was on the same flight as me to Atlanta! Due to our flight being delayed, we ended up having about 3 hours to chit-chat. So fun! I want to add that L’s husband is currently deployed in Iraq (before he was sent to Iraq, he spent a year in Afghanistan). She was on her way to do some preparations for their family’s move back to the base in anticipation of his return in a few months. They have two little girls, and her husband hasn’t seen their youngest since she was just days old! I can only imagine how hard that would be! Our soldiers and their families sacrifice so much to serve our country and protect our freedom. Please do not take them for granted. Please don’t miss opportunities to thank them! THANK YOU J and L!

Me and L at the airport in Tampa:

Once we landed in Atlanta, I only had a few minutes to run across the airport, claim my bags, and meet the rest of the Wiphan team at check-in. I got my exercise! Probably good to get my blood pumping before sitting sedentary for 16 hours on the flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg. The only person on our team that I knew before arriving at the airport was A, so I enjoyed meeting everyone else. Such a neat and diverse group of people! It was so cool to see each person find their niche over the course of the trip.

A few of the ladies in Atlanta before the flight to Johannesburg:

The flight to J-Burg was L…O…N…G! I sat with G and N, a husband and wife on our team. I watched Soul Surfer (GREAT movie) and Casablanca (one of my favorites!) and tried to get some sleep and acclimate my body to Africa time. I made the mistake of leaving my Ambien and my travel neck pillow thingy in my big carry-on which was shoved up in the overhead bin several rows behind us. So sleep wasn’t easy. Mostly just rested with my eyes closed and tried not to flop over onto G's shoulder--THAT would not have made a good first impression with N! And then there were the stiff legs. . . anyone whose flown across the ocean in coach knows what I'm talking about. You try straighten out your legs under the seat in front of you (but of course that’s where you’ve stashed your shoes and laptop bag) so you squeeze them in around all your stuff, as you think about all the stories you’ve heard about deep vein thrombosis and blood clots. Reminding myself that “When we land, we’re in AFRICA” made any discomfort bearable, though. Could not wait to get there!

It was already dark and COLD when we landed in Jo-Burg Friday evening. So cold we could see our breath! We’d checked our luggage all the way through to Ndola and packed most of our clothes and overnight necessities in our carry-ons. We stayed the night at the Birchwood Resort. After we dropped our carry-ons in our rooms, we walked over to the local Spur Steak Ranch restaurant for dinner. The Spur is a Native American-Brazilian-Peruvian-Australian Outback?-themed steakhouse chain. The décor was a bit confusing but the food was good! Many of us sampled the monkey gland sauce that South Africa is known for. Yum! ;)

After dinner, we were able to hop on the internet and check in with family before crashing. I slept so good that night! We had to get up VERY early Saturday morning. It was hard to move from the warm covers into the frosty room, but knowing I'd be in Zambia by afternoon was a great motivation to jump out of bed and get going! The Birchwood had an impressive breakfast buffet. I made myself a traditional English breakfast—egg, baked beans, broiled tomatoes and toast. A sentimental meal that I rarely eat but always enjoy! After breakfast, we checked out of our rooms and boarded a shuttle for the airport. As we checked in for our flight, the clerks required us to weigh our carry-ons (they weren’t weighed in Atlanta). Most of them were too heavy! Much of the weight was coming from the 23 laptops (which we did NOT want to check) and related computer equipment we were taking to set up the typing and data entry lab at Wiphan. We scurried around re-distributing the laptops and contents of our carry-ons and ended up checking some more bags. To add to the excitement, we had one team member got sick and another realize he’d left his brand new iPad at the Birchwood. Nausea medicine was located and calls were made to the hotel to try to locate the iPad (a miracle) and get it to the airport in time for its owner, B, to make it through security and board our plane (another miracle). God showed our team favor that morning. Our sick member’s nausea went away before we boarded the plane, we eased through security with all the laptops in tow, and just as they started loading the shuttle from the terminal to the plane on the tarmac, B—iPad in hand—arrived at the gate! Whew!

Some of us in the Jo-Burg airport terminal: As we left Jo-Burg, the landscape below changed from concrete to red earth:

After a short 2.5 hour flight, we landed in “Real Africa” (that’s the Zambians’ slogan for their country) on Saturday afternoon. As I stepped out of the plane and onto the tarmac, I took a deep breath. Africa! That familiar “Africa” smell of dirt, diesel fumes, burning wood and body odor is so distinct. And so comforting to me!

The Ndola International Airport had a typical small African airport motif. Love it! A perfect point of entry into Zambia! We walked from the tarmac to the visa line:

Then on to the baggage claim and customs:

Then out into the parking lot where we were greeted with big hugs from K and L of Wiphan Zambia. We crammed all our bags into a couple of vans, squeezed ourselves in and drove through Ndola and on to the Castle Lodge.

We were only at the lodge long enough to move our bags into our rooms and freshen up. Then we loaded back up bound for the Sinia school, where they were to be holding a graduation ceremony for recent graduates of the widow program’s jewelry making and hotel and catering programs.

As we approached the school, women and children lined both sides of the street waving flowers, singing and cheering. Many of them formed two lines leading from the vans to the room where the graduation was being held. They sang, danced, waved flowers, hugged and kissed us as we walked through the middle. It was so overwhelming and incredibly humbling. It is something you’d have to experience to really understand. There just aren’t words. This video I took with my camera gives you a tiny glimpse of it (please scroll down and pause (II) the background music before playing):

But to be there in person was just so much more amazing!

The graduates sang and danced in celebration: K assisted in handing out certificates:

It was clear that they were proud of themselves and their accomplishments. After the ceremony, we had the opportunity to fellowship with the graduates and congratulate them. Many of them wanted their pictures taken with the folks from Wiphan USA. So sweet. We had fun taking pictures with them and getting to know them. Their testimonies were incredible—these women have overcome so much and have worked so hard! Those certificates, and the knowledge and the skills they represent, provide so much opportunity and can open so many doors. Every one of the 14 hotel and catering program graduates had already found employment in Ndola. This is how Wiphan is changing these women's lives! Awesome!

It didn’t take long for word to spread through the compound that a bunch of muzungus with cameras had arrived at Sinia. Scores of children and young adults soon showed up requesting that we take their pictures, too. Like the paparazzi in reverse! Get spotted with a camera, and you’ll soon be surrounded by a mob of people wanting to have their pictures taken!

Silly: Sweet: Precious children: That's all for now. More to come!

Bigfoot and Minivans

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 00:29:00 +0000

As I continue to collect my thoughts on Zambia and wonder when I’ll get enough computer time to type them up, here are a few little happenings on the homefront that I wanted to jot down:

K’s favorite new way to end any statement: “Serwioswee. I not kinning.”
“I want bottle, Mom-Mom. Sewiouswee. I not kinning.”
“I want hold you, Daddy. Sewiouswee. I not kinning.”
Occasionally, she’ll omit it and D will say exaggeratedly “You’ve got to be kidding, K!”
“No, Daddy. I not kinning.”

While driving past a wooded area, Ken pointed out the window and jokingly said “there’s where Bigfoot lives”.
Miss A (in her tiny little high-pitched voice) remarked: “They call him Bigfoot because one of his feet is small”.
(It is true, we don’t call him BigFEET. The visual makes be giggle. Suddenly, he’s not so scary anymore. Poor guy, I feel sorry for him.)

Look who’s swimming without water wings! Way to go Miss M!

Remember THIS post? Our baby girl is still crazy about hair and skin products (and anything product-like)! About half an hour before this picture was taken, this was a brand new, full tub of Miss Jessie’s Baby Buttercreme: And 10 minutes before this picture was taken, this was a full container of pink paint: What a mess!

"ALERT! ALERT!" Another of Miss K’s favorite sayings. Here’s the story behind that one, in a cute excerpt from my mom-in-love’s blog:
Grand kiddos are the MOST fun a Grandparent has ... on some days!!! Boy, can they make you laugh ~ and you better not laugh in front of them, or AT them! Soooo many times you have to hold it all in. Sometimes you can NOT hold it in, and you have to act like your laughing at the DOG!(poor dog ~ he gets blamed for everything!). SMILE!
Grandchildren learn EVERYTHING you allow them to learn. They have no fear of trying anything new! They just look at something and they know that they can work IT ... if you just say it is okay for them and give them just a little direction ... ONE TIME! It only takes one time for them ... THEY get it! I have a two year old that can work an iphone, and find her way through the apps to find what SHE WANTS ... just because she watches her Mother doing it!! FEARLESS! I don't even want to touch it because I might mess it up!!! So I sit there learning NOTHING!
My little two year old Granddaughter learns so much every single day. She has two older sisters who teach her everything by example and on purpose. They don't even realize that she is just a baby! And SHE believes that she is just like them ... able to do all that they do! She is really getting her verbal skills in order. She makes her wishes known quite well and understandable NOW! Yesterday, I thought that I would teach her how to say Colorado ... I said "say COL...O...RA...DO " ... and she lets loose with "COLORADO!"
Just a few months ago I told the then four year old and the seven year old sisters to STOP tattling on each other!!! I explained to them that the only time that I wanted them to tell me about the OTHER one, was IF it was an emergency ... if it is URGENT, and important that I go and help the other sister in some sort of trouble ... like if she is hurt, maybe she fell and needs help. I said "Just yell ALERT! ALERT! BOTH of you say ALERT, and I will come and help you!”
Okay! Well, actually THAT worked! I heard “ALERT!" and found one of them with her foot caught, and stuck under some crashed toys in a closet. WOW ... that's working great!
BUT, then the two year old ... caught on perfectly. (She IS a quick study you know!) She liked that word, it was easy to say and she noticed the quick reaction of me hopping to IT! SO, she decided to give it a go!
It is now her word, and her word ONLY ! "AWERT!" "AWERT!!! ... she took my toy!" "AWERT! my chair ... she in my chair!!!" ALERT! has been reinvented as a call "tattle" panic button! It is the funniest thing to watch her, and hear her in motion. AWERT!!! ALERT!!!!.............................................SHE owns it !!!

And finally, we may have officially lost our last little bit of coolness. . . We are now a TWO van fam. His and hers. And yes, I even monogrammed mine. Seriously. I’m not kidding.

Home

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 01:36:00 +0000

I returned home from Zambia yesterday afternoon. Safe and sound! I must admit that had my family all been there with me, I would have been tempted to stay and not come back. Mr. B did a fine job of playing Mr. Mom. The house was clean, the laundry and dishes all done, and my babies were excited to tell me about all the fun they had with Daddy. He survived, but assured me that he now knows how much our home requires a mommy AND a daddy to function smoothly. I was back to work today—hitting the ground running despite being a bit jetlagged and playing catch-up with correspondence and new matters that came in while I was out.

Zambia was beautiful, tragic, joyful, heartbreaking and everything in between. A part of my heart is still there, with precious children whose faces and names I now know and love. Perhaps all those anti-malarial medicines and miscellaneous supplements I was taking made me a bit discombobulated—or maybe it was just a bit of culture shock, despite the fact that I’d visited Africa two times prior—but the whole time I was in Zambia, I felt like I was having a sort of surreal, out-of-body type experience. I tried to soak everything up and savor every moment. But so much was going on on the inside of me that I never really felt fully present on the outside. 9 days in-country was not long enough to fully settle in, process what I saw and come to an understanding of why the Lord took me there and how it works into the plan He has for my life. Seems D and I have all these random dots in our lives. We are impatient to connect them and have the final picture revealed. But instead of connecting them, God just keeps adding more dots to the page. Now that I’m home, I’m dealing with culture shock in reverse as I continue to process the things that I saw and felt, both physically and spiritually, while in Zambia. Each time I turn on the kitchen faucet, the dishwasher, the shower and the washing machine, I think of all the people fetching their water from the wells on the Wiphan school campuses, walking long distances with bare feet and carrying the heavy filled yellow jugs back home to cook their food, bathe their children and wash their clothes. I snuggle up with my girls in a cozy queen-sized bed with fresh sheets my girls and think of sweet Fridah in a cold, mud house sleeping on a reed mat and tiny piece of foam, covered with a rough, dirt-caked blanket. I wonder why I was born into my life and the precious people living in Ndola’s compounds were born into their lives. I lament the fact that there is no simple solution to poverty and that it will never go away. I am inspired as I remember people singing, dancing and worshiping for 4 to 5 hours straight in a mud church with only rough wooden pews or the dirt floor to sit on. I am outraged as I remember Mumi, a 4 year old girl with a lump on her head where she was hit with a chair by her drunken father, Ruth, a 10 year old girl that was raped three times in three days, and Helen, a 16 year old girl with 2 children aged 5 and 3 (do the math!). And I reflect on the fact that whether we are surrounded by material excesses or whether we lack even the basic necessities for living, we are empty without Jesus.

Lots to think and pray about! I plan to share some reflections and stories from my trip in the coming weeks. In the meantime, here are a few pictures:

Zambia Bound!

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 03:25:00 +0000

I’m leaving for Zambia in the morning! I am so thankful to have the opportunity to participate in this trip and am so, so, so excited about seeing first-hand how Wiphan is changing the lives of widows and orphans. My friend Andrea is on the team, too, which is just icing on the cake! We'll even get a little glimpse of South Africa (new stamps in my passport make me giddy!), as we’ll be stopping over in route. I’m looking forward to being stretched, challenged and changed and pray that I am able to contribute something meaningful to the Wiphan program and the precious people that we will be meeting, visiting and serving.

Photos courtesy of Wiphan:

Leaving my family behind is going to be the hardest part of the trip—I’m going to miss them SOOOO much! This will be Mr. B’s first experience flying solo with the girls for more than a couple of days. He’s going to have an adventure of his own! I'm sure he and the girls will have a grand time of fun and memory making, but I also know how much I miss that extra set of hands-on hands when he’s away! Will be praying for the household to run smoothly for him while I’m gone. If any of my local friends and family are reading—please give my peeps a little extra love and care for me during the next couple of weeks!

To help Mr. B out a bit, I made one last, big grocery run and got the fridge and pantry all stocked with lots of healthy breakfast, lunch and snack choices. Saturday morning, Miss M and I had a mommy-daughter date to Dinner Done where we made up a bunch of yummy, nutritious meals that can go from freezer to oven. We had so much fun! I made up a menu and schedule of dinners and preparation instructions and even made arrangements for my crew to have dinner with our folks a few of the evenings to give Mr. B a little break from the kitchen. Ha! I color-coded our calendar to help Mr. B keep up with child care duties, dog grooming appointments, dry cleaning and house cleaning services, and honey-dos: Work is always super-stressful in the last few days before I head out of the office, and I've been busy this week trying to get my files covered and projects delegated so that nothing falls through the cracks while I’m away. It never fails that when I prepare to go on a trip, everything I'm working on starts blowing up and clients I haven't heard from in ages start coming out of the woodwork with new ideas and issues. And I’ve got a big deal scheduled to close 3 days after I get back. Soooo. . . . once again, I’ll be having to periodically contact the office and keep up with the status of some stuff during the trip. We’ll see how that goes. I'll be taking my laptop. And techno-savvy Mr. B has been trying to teach me all sorts of tricks and techniques for getting connected and inexpensively communicating via computer and iphone--but I declare, after 15 seconds he starts sounding like the teacher on Charlie Brown! Bwaa bwaa bwaa bwaa bwaa bwaa bwaa. . . He's going to have to write me up some directions before I go. And then there’s the dreaded mountain that will inevitably be piled in my chair and on my desk when I get back. Another hard thing about leaving—knowing that even though I’m away, the rest of the world is still moving at a head-spinning pace!

Goodbye, office! Sorta.
Then there was the packing. . . I surprisingly managed to fit all of my clothes, converter gadgets and chargers, anti-malarial pills, probiotics, medicines to treat every other digestive issue or other potential ailment I could think of, Bible, journal, camera, snacks, bug spray, makeup, hair, skincare and hygiene products (and appliances--not sure whether we'll have power but I figured it was worth a try!), etc... into one 50 pound suitcase and a carry on. I’ll be toting another 50 pounds of donations once I get to Atlanta. Mr. B used to think it was so funny back in the days before airlines were so strict about weighing luggage and my bags would always arrive at the luggage carousel covered with flourescent orange HEAVY warning stickers, an effort made by the airlines to save their handlers from thrown-out backs and avoid worker’s comp claims resulting from my bags. The topic of my luggage has worked its way into several B family classic stories--like the one of me boarding a plane from England with a sword sticking out of my carry-on (obviously pre 9-11, when a sweet, naive smile was enough to clear security) and the story Mr. B and I refer to as the “German train station incident”. Apparently my lessons in traveling light (after the loss of my lovely safari wardrobe in route to Kenya a few years ago) were short-lived as I used every bit of my suitcase space and might barely came within my weight limits. Planning and packing for a trip is a big part of the fun for me, but it’s also a challenge!

A little weight on top helps to zip up a suitcase! I'm sure going to miss these silly girls! And of course, in addition to all this, I couldn’t leave without taking care of a bunch of tasks “just in case”. Before I leave home—especially on a long journey--I suddenly feel a sense of urgency to complete all those little cleaning and organizational tasks and projects that I’ve been putting on the back burner. Like finally putting a bunch of photos in albums, cleaning out my closet, making sure the laundry's folded and put away, cleaning out the fridge. It’s like the “always wear nice, clean underwear because you could get in an accident” rule taken a few steps further. I worry not only about what the paramedics might think if, in the process of trying to save my life, they notice that my undies have a hole, but what the ladies from church bringing casseroles and cobblers to my grieving family might think of my housekeeping skills if, heaven forbid, I don’t make it! Must be the Southernness in me—worried about my reputation and wanting to be gracious even after I’m gone! Mr. B thinks it's ridiculous, but, as his precious mother would say, “That’s Just Me!” Shoot, I even spend a couple of hours cleaning before the cleaners come to our house! The upside is that I’m fortunate enough to return safe and sound, I have an added bonus of coming home to a clean house (Though we will have to wait and see just how tidy the house stays without Mama home. Seems if I go shopping for a just couple of hours, a tornado blows through!). My Daddy is an estate planning attorney, so we’ve got our important documents-–wills, trusts, insurance policies, etc… in order. And everyone has been advised of the location of all important documents and records. Earlier today, I jotted down our banking and other important passwords, my Kodak Gallery account info (how terrible for my family to lose access to all those family photos?), and the location of my wedding rings (I only wear a gold band when traveling) and gave them to Mr. B to store in a secure location. I even made sure he had the password to my blog, "just in case" he needs to pass along the news of my fate to all my anonymous blog readers. Wouldn’t want to leave you hanging!

Though much of this post is written in a lighthearted spirit (can you tell I’m deliriously excited and up way past my bedtime?!?), on a serious note, I do ask that you please lift our team up in prayer over the next couple of weeks, that the Lord will protect us in our travels and cover our families that we are leaving at home, that He will guide and direct us in all we do and say while on the trip, that He will minister to us and to everyone in the Wiphan program in a BIG way, and that we’ll all safely return home to our families to share the great things God is doing through Wiphan in Zambia.

And with that, a few hours of sleep and a bunch of airport kisses and hugs, I’m off! I’ll be back in a couple of weeks to share all about it (Lord willing!). (smile)

xoxo

Chalk Art, Dog Tricks and Boys

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:49:00 +0000

Recurring conversations with Miss K:
Miss K: What doin Mom-Mom?
Me: Reading a book.
Miss K: Why?
Me: Oh, because I like to read books.
Miss K: Okay. Go ahead.
. . .
Miss K: What doin Mom-Mom?
Me: Carrying these clothes to the laundry room.
Miss K: Why?
Me: ‘Cause they’re dirty. I’m gonna wash them.
Miss K: Okay. Go ahead.
. . .
And on and on throughout the day, whatever activity I’m doing.

Chalk art by Miss M on our patio (gecko with fly on tongue): Close up of the fly:

This masterpiece was created with 3D chalk--you should have seen it through the glasses! So neat! Such talent!

Miss A to Miss K: When you are grown up your heart will be this big (spreads arms wide) and you can do anything! You can drive a van and even cook your own dinner! AND. . . you can have your own cell phone!

Chloe had a birthday: And the girls are training her to be a circus dog (scroll down and pause (II) the backround music first):

Me to the girls: What would you girls think about having a baby brother?
Miss M: No, thanks.
Me: Why?
Miss M: Because I know about boys. I have a bunch of them in my class. They B-word and T-word (that's burp and toot to those not in our family) and they don't say excuse me. And they don't flush.
Me: Well, any boy in our family would have manners like Daddy.
Miss A: And K needs someone to boss. So I say okay to a baby brother.

Fourth of July!

noreply@blogger.com (The B Family) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 03:49:00 +0000

A few more pictures from our trip to Cedar Key with the B fam:

Our Beach Beauties! Surfer girl!

And some Fourth of July fun. We spent the afternoon with MamaToo and Ken: Horseback Riding, Hamburgers, and Swimming!

These girls are turning into great little riders! Pistol is MamaToo's new horse. He is so good with the girls--very laid-back and responsive and patient! Reminds me of my first horse, Rebel. Little A hops up there (her feet don't even reach the stirrups) and tells him what to do and off they go!

M wanted to wear her purple shirt to the barn to match Dream! I'm so impressed with how far M has come in the last month! Losing the water wings is one of our goals for the summer! But Miss M told me that swimming without water wings is "not really my style, Mama."

Our summer seems to be flying by! We're enjoying staying up late, sleeping in, a break from lessons and extra-curriculars, lots of beach, pool and barn time, weekend warrior yard projects, and lots of sunshine and lemonade! Hope you had a Happy Fourth of July!