Joshua & Ayana

Love this picture, just a random shot of them sat together waiting for us after church a couple of weeks ago.

Mr President??

Today I showed Moses the picture of Obama and said, "Look at his lovely brown skin. Just like yours" Moses looked up at me and nodded.

"His daddy was from Africa."

Moses nodded.

"Do you remember I told you he will be President?"

Moses nodded.

"That means he is like the boss"

Moses nodded.

"You could grow up and be President or ANYTHING you want to be. Just like Obama. Isn't that cool.?"

Moses looked up at me.." No. I don't want be President. I just want lunch"

(Picture above is Moses, with Ayana in the background, being Superman on Halloween...saving the world in his own way! One candy at a time.

This is a little clip of George from Hands At Work in South Africa.
Just to give you an idea of what we are talking about when I say we need to go......
(second post today by the way.....!!)

Something to think about...

Cross Country Meet.

2 years ago, Joshua had been sick for 2 weeks with strep throat and decided to run in the cross country meet on his first day back at school. Although we tried to persuade him not to, he was determined to run. He was VERY upset when he came in 110th out of 200 boys his age. He cried. He begged me never to make him do cross country again. (Hello? I tried to persuade you NOT to run in the race)

So, last year he didn't run because he was in a play. 

This year he once again decided to go into the meet.  I have to say I was nervous for him. I reminded him that he had hated the last meet, cried, begged me not to "let" him do another one. No, he was adamant. he wanted to redeem himself!

I also told him that his three good friends were all exceptional runners and they would probably beat him...would he be OK with that? Yep. His goal was to be in the top 50. Out of 200. Pretty good goal.

So, he ran.

I was DELIGHTED to see him running across the finish line in one of the top groups. He was placed 29th! Out of over 200 boys! He was in the top 30.

Wow...that was such an amazing improvement over the last race. He redeemed himself. Pride intact again!! He was over the moon, absolutely exhilarated, pumping the air for joy.

(His three friends? 1st place, 2nd place and 4th place but Joshua was just delighted for them and for himself.)

Before he ran I told him he was fantastic no matter where he came in ("right mum, you have to say parenty things like that") that I didn't care about his placement  and that he was a GREAT kid ("yeah yeah")

Well, he IS a great kid and I didn't care where he placed as long as he did his best, but I am so happy for him that he came in with such a good run.

Delighted after the race. 
Here he is (on the left) with his ribbon proudly displayed...with his best friend (who came in 1st!) 
Pre race anxiety...I actually felt sick with nerves for him.
With his best friend again and another friend (who came in 2nd!) Josh is on the right.

By the way..all the people who are asking me for posts and pictures...this is the third post today and....and...and...I have updated a couple of times recently. So, am I forgiven?

More Pictures.

At a friend's recent birthday party, we went outside and the little ones played in the leaves and also had pictures taken in the beautiful Fall tree.

Erin and Megan here with a little friend :)
Dancing in the leaves. (I think Moses is breakdancing:) )
(Remember I told you in a previous post about Moses wearing the Quik Silver shorts and shirt everywhere with boots...well...here is the proof!)

Fall Days...

Beautiful Fall Colours. 

You can see how big Moses is getting...now I get asked EVEN MORE if they are twins. When I say "no",  can you guess what people say?

 "Are you sure?" :) :)

You have to laugh. Or else you would...

Random Pictures..

Recently I went and bought coats and hats for Ayana and Moses. These kids LOVE new clothes, it's hilarious. For example, a friend picked up some Quik Silver shorts and a shirt (end of summer sale) for Moses and he has insisted on wearing them EVERY day since. Even on cold days. Even when he has to wear boots with them :)  (Yes I take him out with shorts and boots on in the cold. Yes, people look at me like I am one of "those" parents who can not dress their children well and appropriately for the weather. No, I don't care :) )

So, back to the coats and hats. I went out and when I came back, Erin had done a "model photo shoot" with them and I have to say, the pictures are soooo adorable.

Summer Picture.

This is our most recent family picture, taken in beautiful Victoria BC this July. Notice  Moses bald head...I went a little crazy and shaved off all his hair for the summer. The older kids would say to him, "Moses, come here. Can I kiss your little bald head?" and he would say either yes and bend his head for a kiss or no and run away, so funny.  (S, you must be proud that my haircutting skills are getting so advanced!)  Anyway, his hair is all grown in again and is very curly, very cute.

Ayana's hair is very long now when it's not braided and I have to say I mostly keep it braided as it is a lot of work when "Au natural".

OK...news about Africa. We will be moving to South Africa in Fall 2009 to work with a Christian based agency called Hands At Work which works with widows and orphans affected and afflicted with HIV/AIDS.  Once we have acclimatised to life in Africa and been established in their main base in S. Africa, we will move out to one of their more rural centres to continue the work. They currently work in 7  African countries and are actually African initiated and based which we love.  They go into rural communities and work alongside local leadership and churches and ask how they can support and strengthen the community and mobilise the widows (already affected by AIDS of course) to take care of the many orphaned children. They give training, offer medical assistance and practical help and provisions. They run community centres where little ones can be dropped off while their older sibs finally get a chance to go to school.  They have youth programs where youth that have never had a chance to go to school as they were taking care of dying parents and little siblings, now can get some life training and vocational skills. The list goes on and on, this is one awesome organisation that is spreading fast. I like that.

Our heart is for Eastern Africa and we feel that we will be moving up to either Uganda or Ethiopia at some point when we are settled into the way that things work.

Hands At Work has huge dreams, something that attracted us from the beginning. For example, they are currently caring for over 20,000 children in their own communities and their goal is to be taking care of 100,000 orphaned children by 2010, in many countries. Interestingly, UNAIDS has also recommended that because of the huge number of children, that they need to be in their communities and not placed in orphanages as the need is so big. Now, don't get me wrong, there are many people doing incredible work in many orphanages all over Africa...BUT....there are so many children that residential care is just not a reality for most of them. So, we want to be part of the solution of taking care of these millions of children that will never be part of a residential program. A huge need. A huge goal. I like that.

We will be working alongside them in psycho-social care of  orphaned children, and training and teaching local volunteers for going out to work in communities. 

A lot of what I will be involved with is training volunteers in home based care which means going out into the rural communities and being with the people very sick and dying of AIDS and making sure that their children are/will be taken care of.  As you are aware, there are so many orphaned children in Africa (and other parts of the world too of course) that children are taking care of children, there are SO MANY child led households.   Dave and I are particularly interested in developing this aspect of the work; coming alongside the children and making sure that they have the means to get to school, that they have access to food and water, that little ones and girls are not preyed upon by men that offer protection and food for sex and slavery.

This will be a hard job, a thankless task, often depressing and heartbreaking BUT also a glorious job, a joyful task, humbling and renewing.

We need to raise full financial support to go and do this as all staff at Hands @ Work are supported, not salaried. (Not just a little stressful!)

We have to go through our entire house and sort through what we can take, what we can't. We have to go through the jungle of Canada revenue to figure out how to pay taxes when supported and living overseas. We have the enormous task of preparing all our children to move and live overseas in, let's face it, not a great environment. They are all on board with this by the way, we would not go ahead and force this huge life change on them...it is something we have talked about and prayed about for years. They have been very aware and part of each step in the process. (Not Ayana and Moses of course, I mean Erin, Meg and Joshua)

There are 600000000 more things to do and plan and organise but I can't even wrap my mind around them on most days.

Anyway, that is an overview of what we will be doing.  I will be eventually transferring this blog over to another blog which will be detailing our prep time to go as well as family life, but for now, this is OK. 

We will be keeping you up to date with life when we are there by face book and blogs. We will also send out a PowerPoint of everything that we are doing and hope to do, explaining things in more detail if people are interested and also if people want to help support us in this.........adventure! (Let me know :) )

I have to say, this huge and winding journey that we believe God is taking us on is terrifying and exhilarating at the same time...come alongside me and walk with me. I need people around me that care and that will encourage.

So I'm thinking three months isn't too bad, especially when I have VERY BIG NEWS.

Three months since I posted? Hard to believe, time really does fly. 

IS it REALLY September? 

Are the kids REALLY going back to school tomorrow?

Is it REALLY Christmas in  16 and a bit weeks??? (that's scary)

Now for some very BIGGGGG news about our family (some of you may have heard) Nope...not adopting again (not yet anyway :) ) and nope, I'm not pregnant. 

We will be moving.... nope not within Canada! Nope not to UK (although moving closer to my family would be awesome)

We are moving to AFRICA!

Oh my goodness, we are moving to SOUTH AFRICA in FALL of 2009!!

I will do another post which tells all the details of when and where and why and how. But I thought this would be a good jump start to my blog again. Do you agree?

Also another post will fill in with pictures about our summer and the incredibly fun time we all had.

Ayana's Dance Recital.

Ayana has been taking dance for a year now. She loves it. She started by not following any particular instruction from the teachers, preferring to twirl and look at herself in the mirror. However, she has improved and now sometimes does what the rest of the class is doing!

On Saturday it was her recital and she didn't have any idea that it was a special day. When I dropped her off at the hall, she said "Oh, a different place for dance class today"

Here they are practising...

I was a tiny bit concerned that she would freeze when she came out on stage and saw everyone, but she was great!

Sooooo cute!!!!! The 3-5 yr class did a fairy lullaby to start...

...not sure if she is meant to be facing that way but at least she has her arms up!! Then the other age groups danced and the finale was a group dance. (This was during practice, hence the empty chairs.)

Afterwards, she was presented with a Dancing Certificate and then we gave her flowers. (Yellow of course, her favourite colour )

Two of Erin's friends run the little dance studio and I am so impressed with them. Ayana adores them both and sees them all the time when they are over hanging out with Erin, she is so comfortable with them. Here they are after the recital.So, all in all a success! At one point, Ayana was so busy looking at us and smiling, that she almost walked straight into the wall during her dance and another time she stopped dancing to correct a little wedgie, which was hilarious, but overall she did so well.

Where was Moses during the recital? On my knee, desperately trying to catch Ayana's attention and waving to her. We had to hold him back because he soooo wanted to be up there dancing. That boy can dance! He just loves music. So, when the teachers announced that they were opening a boy's hip hop class next Sep...well...I'll let you know what we decide. He would be way too young as it starts at 4 yr's old but the girls both love Moses and said he could come into the class early. We'll see!

Is It Just Me?

Just wondering...do things like this happen to other people? Dave says that he only has two truly embarassing stories in his life. I seem to have several a month. So, here is my embarassing story of the week. First of all though, look at this gorgeous little face...could he ever do anything naughty? Mmmmm, read on!

I had taken Ayana and Moses into Starbucks to get a treat and a drink because they had been very well behaved in a couple of stores.

They had sticky sugar all over them so we went into the bathroom to wash our hands. Of course, when in the bathroom, I took the opportunity of asking Ayana if she needed to go...yep...so she goes. Then I quickly jump onto the toilet myself before we head out and Moses decides to UNLOCK the door and RUN OUT!

NOOOOOO, COME BACK!

I jumped off the toilet, grabbing my pants with one hand and tried to chase Moses while Ayana, my three year old, is laughing at me. Quickly grabbed Moses, pull him back in and lock the door.

"Never open the door when we are in the bathroom Moses, never" I said.

Ayana tried to look very serious,

"Oh my goodness" she chimed in (mmm I guess I say that a lot)

I just had to laugh.

So, back to my original question...

"Is it just me?"

Family Days On The Beach.

Recently we went on a trip to the beach after church. These pictures were the same time as our family picture of a few posts ago. As I explained then, Joshua, Ayana and Moses had been carrying the Ethiopian flag in a flag parade. (Explains why they are in Ethiopian dress)

Here they are, I was so proud of them!

(Isn't this cool? Ayana looks so serious and as if she is hugging her flag, I love it)

It was February time actually, a lovely day after being cooped up inside through the winter months. We just loved walking through the dunes, looking for crabs and we even saw several eagles. What a relaxing and dreamy family day.

My Girls Moses contemplating life.
Dave and Moses (one of my favourite pictures of all time)
Ayana running through the dunes.
Erin and Josh hanging out together.
(Thanks Erin for the special effects!)

A Lovely Book.
This book was given to Ayana and Moses by a family member when we brought them home. The poems are beautiful and lyrical.

Here are two of my favourites:

Cherish Me:
I sprang up from mother earth
She clothed me in her own colours
I was nourished by father sun
He glazed the pottery of my skin
I am beautiful by design
The pattern of night in my hair
The pattern of music in my rhythm
As you would cherish a thing of beauty
Cherish me

Hide Me In The Cradle Of Your Love:
Oh hide me in the crevice of a rock
Some safe place
Hide me in the cradle
Of your love
In the nook of your warmest glance
On some healing shore of the sea of
Time.

Lovely!

JOY!!
This is a quick and short post just showing you one of my favourite pictures from Erin's recent trip to India. I will show more another time...
This captures Erin (2nd from the right) and some of her team mates jumping in the Arabian Sea at sunset.
Isn't it gorgeous!

The Doodle Bop Pledge:

Ayana and Moses LOVE the Doodle Bops. They are a bit American glitzy for me, but Ayana and Moses watch their show whenever I remember that it is on!

So, at the beginning they have a pledge where they pretend to blow trumpets and sing...

"We promise to share, we promise to care all together as a team. Just stick to it, we can do it, we can do anything. etc etc"

Then, they all dance around and one of them break dances on the floor...Ayana and Moses love this part of the show and one day I spotted them joining in with the pledge too. Hilarious! They blow their pretend trumpets and try to join in, then break dance etc. Hopefully these video clips are working...let me know!

Oh...and I do believe this is the second post today....!!!

Snow Dancing!

This little video clip was taken one snowy day just days before Christmas. We were having lunch and it was all warm and cosy inside. I had some lovely Christmas music on and I noticed that Ayana was dancing to the music in her high chair...totally not prompted by me or anything. It is soooo funny. It shows her dramatic and expressive personality very well. I started to film her and then turned to see what Moses was doing and he was being his usual goofy self...also dancing in his own way. You can hear me laughing...

So here they are...this sums their funny personalities up so well!

More Christmas time memories.

Four whole days since I posted. Here are some more picture memories of Christmas.

Setting up the tree....

Opening presents on Christmas morning...

Actually, a funny story about the presents. We don't give our kids that many presents. They get nice things, but not masses and masses. Anyway, after a few presents, Moses had had enough. He actually started running away whenever a present for him was pulled out from under the tree. He started crying and saying " Me no more presents" He ended up opening some a few days later!

Probably the only child on Christmas morning that was crying because he had to open more presents!

Josh LOVES making pancakes, French toast, cookies etc. Here he is on Christmas morning making everyone a delicious French toast breakfast. It was SOOOOO good!

One of the presents that Moses wouldn't let out of his sight or reach that day was his digger truck! It even sat on his high chair tray with him :) It makes noises and has flashing lights. A childs dream. (Parents nightmare?)And here is Princess Ayana in her ballerina dress...what joy on her face when she opened this present from Oma.

Family dinner. (Notice the fork stuck in Moses's hair.) Really this was a fun family time...certainly a memory to cherish.One of the "whiplashy" things about having older children and little toddlers is that your older ones are going out to parties in beautiful dressy dresses while you are home watching Thomas The Tank Engine and the Wiggles with your babies....the whole time wondering if the older ones are OK and....are there boys at these banquets?? :) Here are my lovely girls after coming home from their youth banquet. They had a ton of fun and looked gorgeous...even if I say so as a proud parent.
So, that's it for today :) See you soon.....