I’ve been cooped up in this small two bedroom, one bathroom house for almost two weeks now. I’ve watched FOUR seasons of Friends in the last week…..all episodes I’ve seen about a million times (but somehow still fine funny!).  I’ve taken care of two kiddos and sucked out more boogers from their noses than I care to admit.  I’m tired of it. I am tired of this sickness hanging around our house!  Yesterday I opened the windows and told it to get out!  (Now Kev’s sick! Maybe it didn’t listen so well.) 

I’m writing this post from outside where the cool breeze and the sun are hitting my face and it feels good!  I took Piper for a stroll up to the school (Miss Pat’s birthday party today) and saw faces I haven’t seen in almost two weeks.  I realize how horribly out of the loop I am on everything and everyone and I am tired of that too. 

Somehow in my small house, the world stopped turning for me.  I get so wrapped up in the needs of myself and my little family that I forget that the world outside of my four walls is very much still turning…….

People still have needs.

People are still sick, hurting, and dying. 

And though I am not always in the thick of things right now, the Mission is reaching out and meeting those needs and very real and tangible ways!  I have a new one month old neighbor who has loving arms to care for her as her mom passed away and the family wasn’t able to care for her.  I have another neighbor who is dealing with the loss of a baby.  And my dear momma that lives just off the main road to the Mission is nursing a whole bunch of sick kiddos too!  Needs…..all around me. 

Today I am reminded, as I feel Botswana on my face that I am blessed to be here……even though right now that looks really different than it did even a year ago.  I am still a part of something……eternal!  

I’ve been sick pretty much the whole month of July.  It started out as what seemed to be a normal cold, but it just hung around…..and around……and around.  At the same time, Andrew picked up a cold and his seemed to hang around just like mine. 

The long story short…..two visits to the doctor and a third round of antibiotics and a diagnosis of pneumonia!  While it’s not major I could tell something was going on as this cough was the worst I had ever had in my life.

I’ve been down pretty much the whole weekend just resting and trying to get better.  Kevin has been great at taking care of me and the kids!  Andrew is also on his second round of antibiotics and are treating his cough with the same type of meds as mine.  We’re both doing much better than we were a few days ago and I am praying it’s on the way out for good this time! 

Being sick is the pits for the following reasons….

1.  When you have kids, they still need you! You can’t just sleep the day away…..they still need you!  It’s hard!  I’ve let Andrew do things like watch TV in his bedroom just so that I can get some rest without fighting him for his nap or bedtime.  I know I am gonna eat that one later as now he always wants to watch a “show” in bed!  Oops! 

2.  You can’t get good familiar meds here like you can in the US.  Everything is different here and I have no idea how it will react with my body.  I am not a med taker anyway and so I don’t like things that make me feel tired or woozy.  (After all, I have two wee people to take care of and I need to be a little coherent!)  I would have given anything for some Robitussin cough medicine! 

3.  I want my mommy…….she makes it all better and well being here means I am an ocean’s length away from her.  

Being sick though, does have some good reasons…..

1.  I have a wonderful husband who takes good care of me!  He’s let me rest, watch an unbelievable amount of Friend’s episodes, watched the kids, taken Andrew on long walks, and paid $12 for two cans of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup that he knew I had be craving!  He’s quite a guy! 

2.  I’ve gotten to rest, which honestly, I’ve needed.

3.  I can kiss all over Andrew and it’s okay…..we’ve got the same thing!  And I can kiss all over my hubby and Piper because Pneumonia isn’t contagious!  (However I am still being pretty cautious around Piper anyway…..she’s been fine through all of this! )  

So I feel like I’m on the mend, but I know this cough is going to take a bit to kick.  Being sick is no fun, but I am glad I have my little family to help take care of me……even though I still miss my mommy!

So our May intern Sarah Adams took some family photos for us. I thought they turned out really well despite the fact that Andrew was sorta grouchy as he and I have been fighting colds all week. 

Case in point…….

(it doesn’t look like it, but I am actually laughing at Andrew! )

That’s better

LBOM’s new sign entering the property!

Oh the joys of family photos!  
 
I am actually looking forward to doing a bit more photography as time goes on.  Kev and I had dreams of owning a Digital SLR camera one day.  Our old digital was just not taking great photos anymore and I was sick of missing the shot because it was slow.  Over the past month our digital has been acting up and find myself cursing it more than anything.  We knew we would probably have to replace it when we got stateside at the end of the year but till then I was just going to have to suffer through.  (Suffer I know…..poor me right? ) 

Well another testimony about how God hears our desires……even those frivolous ones!   On Sunday afternoon some friends show up at our door with their old Nikon D80 SLR and say, “Here you go!”  I was in shock!  Here they were giving us a camera and not just any camera……the exact one (and even better!) that Kev and I were “dreaming” for.   On top of that, after talking with a friend of mine about camera lens’, she offered to send one of her old lens’ that she never uses!  So here we were blessed with this great camera and lens!!!!  Seriously, I am still in a bit of shock!  I love it when God uses people to bless others needs…..I love being on both ends!   

So be on the look out for more photos as I learn all about this new camera and all it can do!!!  

A fellow missionary friend on mine put it best when she said that “Goodbye’s for missionaries are more the norm than hello’s”…….I think that’s so true.

We said good-bye to our beloved Serena on Thursday.  My heart still hurts when Andrew says, “Where Serena?” or “Serena go night night”.  I mean this girl was Andrew’s entire world for the past 6 months.
 

Serena watched Andrew go from the “screaming stage” to the actual talking stage. She taught him all sort of words like
“Oh goodness!”
“That’s funny”
“Wanna Color?”
“Want nu-nu’s”
“Moto Moto- Hot Hot”  (From Madagascar Two)
“Oh Andrew…..” (I love this one….anytime he does something a bit naughty he says it……and we say it too!)
Her name went from Semeena to Serena and he even managed to get her sister Sierra’s name too…..though it came out more like Sarah.

They were partners in crime and Serena even kept Andrew for sleep overs at her house.  She shared a room for two weeks with Andrew while we were in Gabs waiting for Piper to come.  She was also the only one who could ever get Andrew to go to bed or nap willingly…..I mean really……how in the heck does that happen?  She endured many nights of sharing a bed with a very wiggly toddler.  His own mother can’t even do that! 

 
Serena was also like a little sister to me.  She saw the good, the bad, and the ugly in me.  I could be completely me around her and not care…..I loved that.  She picked up toys, swept up sticky noodles, and ran after Andrew when I was just too big and pregnant with Piper to manage.  She took Andrew for long walks so I could have some quiet time to rest when I was too big and pregnant to sleep in the night.  She was also there for me when I went into labor and my water burst all over the floor!  I mean really…..how many people get to see THAT happen!   I knew Andrew was in good hands with Serena and never worried once about him while I was in the hospital (or ever really!).  She was also there when Andrew was introduced to his little sis for the first time! 

We got the privilege to welcome Serena’s little sister Sierra into our family for three weeks as well.  Like her sister, she was a breath of fresh air.  If I weren’t looking at them I had a hard time telling their voices apart…..they for sure are sisters!  Watching the two of them would often times make me long for my own sister and miss her. There is nothing like having your sis around and I know at the end of this visit Serena was in need of a little dose of her own family. Of course Andrew took to Sierra right away as well.  (I think he has a thing for pretty girls. ) 

Serena was literally the 5th member of our family.  She served us with her whole heart, even though at times I am sure she would rather be doing something else.  She never complained and was always willing, often times offering to do things without ever even being asked.  She blessed us with more babysitting and overnights than we could ever imagine!  Overall…..she was just a blessing!

 
Thank you Serena for ALL you did for our family.  We love you and miss you like crazy! 

So over the past 6 years, I seen a lot of people leave LBOM.  Over the past 6 years, it doesn’t get any easier to say goodbye to those people.  When you live in such close community with people you tend to get close to those people. 

Across from my house is another house whose occupants seem to change too often for my liking.  It started out with Brick and Kendra and was dubbed “the girls house”. At that point, the only grass on the property was still at the Lackey’s house.  We all just had dreams of having grass yards but alas we lived with our sand yards.  However there was a definite “path” that was walked often between our house and theirs.  The path went both ways as we spent just as much time at their house and visa versa.  Saying goodbye to Brick and Kendra was hard, but then we got new neighbors…….

The Bryant’s and Jon Heller moved into “the girls house” and soon it was changed to “the Bryant’s house”.  The dynamic changed a bit as now kids were in the picture for both of our families.  Also the dreams of having a grass yard became reality as both Kev and Jermiah started making yards for our kiddos to play on.  Once again, the path remained the clear cut separating our houses.  Often times Kev would yell at me and tell me to not always walk on that spot as he was trying to get grass growing.  We left for furlough that year and came back to not only no dog, but no neighbors either. 

The path began to grow over.  I remember looking at it at one point last year and feeling sad, like it hadn’t been walked enough.  I rarely went over to that house as most of the time it was empty and was soon dubbed “Guest House #1″.  People came and went over the year, but the path continued to grow over.  I remember Kev was pretty excited that grass was finally covering that bare spot.  Me, it was just a reminder that people that I cared about were gone…….

This year though the house became alive again as it first of all became part of Semekelang’s forever home, but also it housed Serena!  In addition it’s hosted many female scouts as well as our two female interns.  It once again was dubbed “the girls house” and soon…….the path returned! 

You see Serena was with us for 6 months helping our family.  She walked that path at least once a day and often times it was with my son on her arm.  In addition I found myself walking over there again and enjoying some quiet moments with the girls when I needed to get away from Andrew’s loudness.  It was nice to look across the way and see lights in it again and also see Semekelang stay here instead of having to go back and forth to Francistown. 

Serena commmented one time that she never felt she needed a flashlight since she just knew the way…..the path was there and she walked it so many times that she could do it with her eyes closed.   A few weeks ago, when coming from the house I noticed that indeed the path was back to it’s orginal status…..no grass!   Yesterday my eyes welled with tears as I watched Serena and her sister Sierra (who came to visit and volunteer at the end of her visit) walk the path for the last time.  I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to that path as we turn a new chapter in our season. 

One thing is for certain…..the path is a reminder that even though the people change in seasons, that the memories those people have in my heart do not!  While it’s hard to say goodbye, my life is blessed because those people are a part of it. 

**And on a side note……the paths have extended to our next door house too which housed the Walker family who left in November.  Then Brenda returned and now the house will soon be filled with babies who will be loved and cared for!  I am sure there will be a nice well worn path between our house and that one!!!

This is about what my life is made up of these days……..

 
These days is Piper is on my lap so is Andrew. 

These days Andrew is learning so much and studies just about everything.  Here he’s looking at his reflection in these sunglasses. 

These days I work from home.  I have a small office area set up in our room.  On occasion while Piper is snoozing Andrew will come and play on the floor with a basket of toys that I have in there.  However the bed is much more fun to jump and play on.  On these days, I don’t get much work done as you can see……

(This picture actually depicts Andrew well….he’s always on the go he’s like a flash of light!)

These days Piper is quite entertained by Andrew! 

These days Piper is smiling a lot!  I swear she’s the easiest baby in the world.  She’s content to just watch what happens around her quietly.  She smiles when you look at her and oddly enough when you play sorta rough with her, she LOVES it! 

She loves to stick her tongue out!

These days, this is usually what I find……Piper’s feet sticking out of her PJ’s in the morning.  How she manages it, I have no idea, but it cracks me up.  I guess her and Andrew take after my feet feelings…..I don’t like having my feet covered either!

Don’t you just want to eat those feet!!??

These days, Bubba has returned to her beloved spot on the bed.  (Once again….love those feet and legs!) 

These days life is pretty much made up of being a wife and mommy……and I love it!

On Wednesday, Kev and I had the privilege to head for an overnight at Tree Lodge.  We took our computers and got some much needed work done in the day, but the goal was to rest and just get away for a bit.  Serena and Sierra watched Piper and Andrew so that we could go on this lovely overnight. 

Upon arrival at the lodge, Diane told us, “So we have a new baby giraffe that was just born a few days ago.”  I had heard from Jerry that one of the giraffes was expecting so I was excited to hear that she had delivered.  Kev said he wanted to go look for it, but rest was on my agenda and I didn’t quite feel like walking or driving around hunting for a baby giraffe that I probably wouldn’t see.  Instead, I rested……that’s what I came to do, and that’s what I did!

On Thursday morning we woke up to a horrible flat tire so when the group left on the truck to find the baby giraffe, Kev and I missed it.  I still thought to myself, “Oh well…..it’s just a giraffe, not like I’ve never seen one of those before!”  I still get excited to see animals here, but after living here for 6 years I don’t get quite as excited as I used too.  (Now if there is a lion or other cat around……watch out, I can hardly contain my excitement! )  After getting our flat fixed we decided we should head back home.  Erin loaded up with us and we decided to drive around a bit to see if we could see the giraffe.  (The Lodge property has 7) After driving for an hour we didn’t see it. We did see some Gemsbock, Impala, Zebra, Ostrich and various other deer like animals…..yes, I get them all confused.   I thought, “Oh well….no biggie”.  Just as we were getting ready to pass through the gate to leave, I spotted them…..giraffe…..the whole heard!  We knew the baby had to be close but that the heard was probably really protecting it.  Kev off roaded a bit and we saw it (still not sure if it’s a girl or boy as the umbilical cord is still attached and they couldn’t tell yet)……..
 

This sweet baby giraffe (pics courtesy of Erin Adams)

I’ve never seen such a small one before so as I stood their watching it I realized it was pretty rare to see a giraffe that was just a few days old.  It still stood every bit of 6ft tall and as I looked at the others I wondered how in the world the momma carried such a big baby.  Doug (the Lodge’s manager) said that he watched it being born and it was quite amazing as it comes out feet first and then it just drops a good 4-5ft on the ground when it’s born!  Can you imagine!? 

The others did a good job of shielding it from us, but we sat for awhile to just watch it and the others.  I sat in the stillness……hearing the birds and the sound of Erin’s camera clicking away and had a moment…….at “pinch me I live in Africa” moment.  All this just 20 min outside of where I live…..seriously!  Crazy!?! I guess I really did care about seeing that little baby after all and we were so lucky to catch it just on the way out.