My girls....goofing around.

Brothers!

Joshua and Moses have an incredible bond. They truly love each other and Moses idolises Joshua. These two boys stick together! 

When we got our referral, Joshua was 9 years old and when he heard that one of his siblings was going to be a little brother, he ran around the house shouting "I'm going to be his hero, I'm going to be his hero" It was sooo funny.

 As it turns out, he was right :)

(P.S How Moses lost his front tooth is another post for another day:)  )

For our special friend M.

We miss you M. Thank you for phoning and for sending us pictures. Thank you for being such a great friend. We miss laughing with you and dancing to cool music.

We love the Cars bed, it looks sooo good in our room. When you come and visit, we can show you!

Love from A & M

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

An Historic Day!

What an incredible day. I felt privileged to watch as an African American man was sworn in as President of the United States of America. Incredible.

I think he is a brilliant orator and a very dignified and composed man. Very exciting to watch.

Of course, as Moses turned off the TV at the precise moment when he went forward to take his oath, I had to watch that on the computer later, but it was still very exciting.

Only time will tell about how his administration handles the pressures and challenges of leadership, but for now, I am just enjoying the pomp and ceremony of it all.

Congratulations Mr. President!!

Moses quotes.

Moses makes me laugh.

 Two things that he recently said to me. He is either BRILLIANT (only  just turned three), watches too much T.V with his older brother :) or is just plain f.u.n.n.y. 

As a very good parent, it has to be either the first or the third option above. AND look how adorably cute he is too!

1)The other day as we were driving along, he said,

"You and me mama, ...together we will save the day"

2) We were going into a store and he looked up, patted his pocket and said,

"Don't worry, I've got this covered"

After I had stopped laughing I asked him what he could buy with no money.

"It's pretend money for pretend toys" with the teenage eye roll to complete the picture.

He makes me laugh every single day.

"Three Cheers For my mum. Hip Hip...."

Here is my mum (with Erin and Megan) visiting us from UK last September. She is healthy and vibrant and full of energy.

She returned back to UK with promises to soon return...we always miss her so much when she leaves. When she got back home, she called and said she had a good flight, she was settled in etc.

Imagine my horror when she phoned only three days later to say that she had been out walking her dog and they had been attacked by a boxer dog. It knocked my mum to the ground, bit her all over her arms and legs and also viciously attacked her little Schnauzer dog.

After being in the hospital to get checked out and tetanus shots etc, she seemed OK, although her back was really sore.

To cut a l.o.o.o.n.g. story short, (lots of tests, lots of bloodwork, lots of x-rays, an MRI scan, fainting episodes ) three weeks later she was still in agony and they discovered that she had actually broken her back!! (OK, don't even get me started on incompetent dr's.  How does it take three weeks to find a broken back...????)

When she was knocked down by that s.t.u.p.i.d. dog, she broke her back! 

Here we are in January, four months later and she is doing really well, she is up and mobile. She is still in pain with her back, but there is really nothing they can do about that now. She goes to a chiropractor/physio, she has regular checkups etc, but her back will always be a bit stiff and sore.

Oh, and the dog? The one that attacked my mum and her dog? Well, after she heard that the owners were still letting it run around without a leash (even though legally they had to muzzle it after it had attacked), she actually got the police involved and charged the guy.  I'm still waiting to hear what comes of that.

So, she's alright,  she's doing very well. 

In fact, she has just been on the phone and telling me about a conference she will be speaking at in China in April and making plans to come out and visit us before we leave for Africa. She is a strong and brave woman. 

"Three cheers for my mum! Hooray...."

I'm making a New Year Resolution...

I will write in this blog regularly and put in lots of pictures.

I often make New Year resolutions.

Sometimes I keep them.

Most times I don't.

I'll try and keep this one.....promise :)

Maybe I'll even do a trendy little email notification when I have updates...

Lesley

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!)