So I survived my Namibian adventure in more ways than one! 

We had a great time and though it was a LONG journey there and back again, it was also a journey that went very uneventful travel wise.  I couldn’t have asked for better travel buddies or smoother travel. Thank you for those of you who prayed for us……it did not go un-noticed as there were many moments where we felt the Lord’s hand of protection over us. 

Quad biking was the major thing!  I had talked myself in and out of it about a dozen times between the time we left Maun till the day we actually went.  Of course I went, but I was very nervous.  About an hour before hand Kev had text me to make sure that we prayed for protection, especially over one of our interns Ashley. The new company that we went with picked us up and we were on our way.  I was especially impressed at how our guide Johnny took the time to explain the bikes, the dunes, and some safety precautions before we headed out.  On the dunes you go single file behind the guide and you don’t go off course as that is when you could get into trouble.  Plus once you are out there, you can easily get turned around as it’s just all dunes! Once on the dunes I was glad I went as it’s just so beautiful out there.  About an hour into the quading our guide Johnny stopped and said something to Josiah who was in front of me.  I didn’t hear what was said as I was still a bit too far back and before I knew it our guide was going over the edge of what looked like a very large dune.  In my previous experience we’ve taken drop offs like that so I thought to myself, “Okay….here we go!”  I noticed Josiah hesitated a little bit and then went over.  I saw him drop off so again, I was ready for the big drop down.  I said a quick prayer, went full power and went up and over!  What I discovered on “the other side” was an almost vertical drop off and it was way too late to back out.  I noticed that this way was way far though…..much steeper than the ones I had gone over before.  I was sailing down this thing when the g-force hit and my butt (which I might add is not a light one!) came up off the seat and the visor on my helmet shot up!  I thought, “Oh Lord….here it goes!  I am sure I am going off this thing!”  I managed to make it down and turn to look up only to find a HUGE drop off that I just sailed down.  I couldn’t believe I had gone all the way down this thing…..my heart was racing but I had a huge smile on my face.  That sure was a wild ride.  I waited, and waited to see Ashley, Dietra and Brad follow, but never saw them.  Josiah and were like, “What is going on?”  A few moments later our guide came over and said, “Oh my goodness…..you were NOT supposed to follow me down that ledge……you are so lucky your bikes made it!!!”  He then sat there puzzled as to how in the heck he was going to get our bikes back up the ledge, as ours were just the automatic bikes and didn’t have that much power.  I then realized how dangerous it was what we had just did!  When we got back up the dune….by God’s grace only…..we found the other three and found out what happened.  Turns out Ashely’s bike got stuck and she was having some issues with it going into forward.  Hindsight…..had she gone down after me, she most likely would have flown off.  She is a very small person and the fact that Josiah and I barely stayed on meant that she would have for sure fallen off.  Either that or Dietra and Brad would have.   We were praising the Lord for his protection over us……it could have ended very badly. After that our guide was much more conservative with us (after all….he probably thought we were a huge liability! ha!)  After taking that drop off, I was done!  I was so scared after that I went a lot slower than normal and I was oh so glad to see the quad biking place!  I got off and vowed that I will never again go…..at least for awhile!   Our guide was amazing and so patient with us! 

I will say this…….I had no fear, for the first time ever in my life, going down that hill!  Normally I would have hesitated, but this time I didn’t!  I had complete trust!  I totally have a sermon if I ever need to preach……”Full throttle faith in God!”
 
Don’t I look tough in my red helmet? ha!

Dietra totally had the look down!  

Ready to go……I think!

Our crew on the dunes!

So beautiful….the pictures don’t even do it justice!

Quad bikes always give me black hands which eventually gives me a black face because I forget and scratch my face! Oh well….

Dietra, Ashley, and I on the dunes!

The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful.  Ashley went sky diving and Dietra went deep sea fishing while Josiah and Brad followed me around shopping.  We ate amazing meals at some great restaurants and I even managed to catch a movie too!  What a treat!   While it is a long drive, there is a lot to do and it’s not that expensive which makes it great when you’re on a budget. 

It was a huge learning experience for me and quite honestly, I have a new appreciation for Kev as he always handles it all.  I couldn’t have had a better group to “experiment” on though as they were all very patient and willing to help.  It can be hard to please others, but this group was really easy and all knew what they wanted so that made it so much easier for me. 

Kev survived as well with Piper and Andrew and I hope that he has a new apprication for me. ha!  Both kids were pretty excited to see me though which felt good.  Sometimes I wonder if they would miss me, but they were excited to see me! 

Thanks again for your prayers!  It was a wonderful trip!

I am heading to Namibia for the rest of the week with our interns!  This time will be different in so many ways…….

• Driving 13 hours in a small Corolla with 5 people.  Squish! 
• Staying at a new place…..dorms…..we’ll see how that works!
• New Quad bike company……hopefully the extra cost means that their bikes are more maintained and that they are a bit more responsible.  I have no desire to get on a quad after falling off last time, but alas…..I am facing my fears head on!  I will quad, and I know I will have a great time!
• No Kevin!  Just me!  Alone…..with 4 very rascally….I mean perfect, interns!   

The later of the four I am a bit worried about.  Kev’s usually the Logistical Coordinator.  I know I can do it, but traveling within Africa is much more different than the good old USA.  Boarder posts, limited gas stations (actually on this route there are many!), possible breakdowns and the biggest….animals on the road prove to make a road trip quite interesting.  I am hoping that it will be smooth sailing for me and the interns.  If you think of us, please lift up a prayer……we’ll need it! 

Kev on the other hand will be staying home with the 2 kiddos.  Actually….maybe say a prayer for him first!   I KNOW he’ll need it!  

We’re both swapping roles and no doubt will be tested, but we are always up for a challenge!

I’ll pop in Saturday evening or Sunday to let you know how it went!!!  

I have a lot of nothing to say today……..

• It rained last night!  Kev and I were up entirely too late last night and at 12:30am the skies opened up for a brief but wonderful rain!  We do what we always do……hang out on the porch and breath it in!  I’ve never enjoyed the smell of rain as much as I do here.  When you don’t have it often, you really miss it. Today is wonderfully breezy, gloomy and cool out!  Makes me feel like fall…..my favorite time of year in the US.  Now, how to get a pumpkin spice latte…….
• Kev did a scenic flight this morning to take some pictures of the property and future sites of some big things going on with the Mission.  It’s exciting to see what the Lord is doing on this property and at LBOM.  Not sure how much can be disclosed at the moment so just know and trust that God is doing some great things in Maun!   Anyway, he was able to go up with Matt (another LBOM missionary) and Jacob (a partner of the Mission) and get some great shots and video. This morning it was gloomy and I thought to myself, “I wonder if they still will go?”  Then I laughed at Kev and said that every day for the first 5 years of our marriage when I woke up in the mornings I would look at the weather and be able to tell if Kev would work or not.  Wow, hadn’t had those thoughts in a long time!  One day, we know Kev will be in the skies again.  The Lord’s just working out the plane details.  
• Our intern group is keeping us on our toes these days!  Kev and I are loving doing this program and while it’s a lot of work, we’re able to get back into a lot of things that we’ve missed doing……like working with the people again!  Behind the scenes work has often kept us on the back lines of ministry (which is always needed…..don’t get me wrong!) but now we’re getting to go out a bit more and do ministry again.  It’s made me miss our old Teen Mania days and it’s great full “leading” with Kev again!  We still have it…..or so I think.   Tomorrow we’ll be heading to our African Momma’s house to do some serving and helping of cooking a traditional meal!  I am so excited for this day.  Even though I won’t be a part of the whole day (too long of a day for the kiddos!) I am still excited to really be a part of Momma’s day.  And those kids…..well…..you’ll see!  

Ashley, Dietra, Josiah, and Brad

Have to teach them the art of my homemade pizza!  Josiah showing off his 3 cheese!

• We’ve discovered that camping with small children isn’t quite as easy as we thought it would be.  We loaded up the kids to go camping with the interns just outside of Maun.  Andrew had an ear infection so we knew that we wouldn’t be over nighting but that we would stay out and eat and hang out.  Let’s just say, it wasn’t easy.  Andrew is very bold…..had no fear of the fire and I was a nervous nelly the whole time!  Maybe we’ll try it again next year when he’s a bit older.  

We set up a small tent for Andrew to play in and for Piper to snooze in.  She loved it……..

Andrew not so much.  Here he’s looking like, “Mom, this is so lame!” 

Cookin in the pots, just like in the good ole days!  I’m telling you, you haven’t lived till you’ve had a meal out of the black pots!  Or maybe it’s just because it brings back warm fuzzy feelings of our outreach days?

• I am missing fall!  Last year this time my best friend Amy and her husband Damian came to see me and I was over the moon.  I know they could come back and visit in a heartbeat if they could!  I have such fond memories of our time together last year and it was so critical as I was so down in the dumps.  Good friends have a way of pulling you out of your pits. 
• I am doing an amazing bible study called “Wisdom for Mothers” by Denise Glenn.  It’s amazing!  I find I am diving into the Word more and more to find the answers that I need in my mothering skills.  I highly recommend it if you can get your hands on it……..great insight! 
• I am heading to Swakupmund Namibia with our interns next week for 4 days.  I am doing this trip sans Kev and the kids!  I won’t quite know what to do with myself I think.  It’s 13 hrs in the car so I am defenitly not looking forward to that drive.  I am however looking forward to seeing the dunes and feeling those ocean breezes on my face.  I’m also looking forward to possibly taking in a movie and just having some time to relax and fellowship with our interns.  I will miss Kev dearly as he’s usually the “trip coordinator” and the thought of that long drive without my Mr. Macgiver in case something goes wrong…….  Let’s just hope that I can keep my butt on the quad-bike this time……falling off was definitely a blow to my pride! Ha!  
• Andrew is doing well at the potty.  Piper is starting to get up on all fours and rock……..crawling is not far!  Where has this year gone?  When you find it, tell me! 
• Can almost count the days till we go home…..I think we’re looking at like 74 days!  Hard to believe that we have to get through Thanksgiving here first before we can head home.  I have two big cans of pumpkin burning a hole in my cabinet!  
• And last but not least………

Goal Jeans!!!!! 

Have a great weekend!

So this is what happens when you are teaching 4 interns how to make homemade pizza and you aren’t watching your two and a half year old……..

Andrew got a hold of a tube of diaper cream and proceeded to scrub it all over his face, arms, bed, and toys!  At school they lotion them so he’s all about lotion these days.  I even caught him pretending to lotion Piper the other day too! 

Heading for the tub.  Let’s just say, diaper cream is not quite easy to get off.  You see it’s a barrier so you really have to work at it.  He smeared it all into his mattress too (I was washing the sheets) so that was fun to get off. 

All we could do was laugh and say our standard…….”Oh Andrew…….” 

(Andrew actually hates this potty seat…..he’s a big boy and uses the big potty!)

Dare I say it? 

I think that Andrew has got it!  He’s been going at school now for about 2 weeks…..even on his own.  We could not for the life of us get him to go at home.  We tried everything short of buying him a car……no luck.  So I quit trying and put him in a diaper.  As soon as he would get home from school, we would try, he would run into his room and go on the floor…..diaper went back on. 

On Sunday, I needed some peace and quiet after a very long day on Saturday.  Kev took Big A to church and low and behold…..he went on the church potty, but upon coming home…..no potty, back in the diaper he went! 

On Monday, I had meetings with our intern girls and Kev was on duty.  He saw Andrew diggin in his diaper and asked, “Go Potty?”  Andrew ran to the bathroom, pulled out his step stool, stripped his pants down…………….

And went #1 AND #2!!!!!!!

He’s been going regularly since and even last night as I was finishing up dishes he pattered out from his bedroom and said, “Mommy, go potty?”  So off we went.  He’s doing quite well.  I am thinking that we might be out of diapers before December and our trip home! 

Stay tuned……..

a huge need to have Christ be our everything

I have loads of posts to write, but no time!  Our inters have arrived and so Kev and I have hit the ground running!  It’s so good to have a group of interns again…..we were getting a bit lonely, and these four so far have provided some great sources of laughter.  I have no doubt this will be a great group! 

So for now, I’ll just post pictures of Andrew in his uniform.  He is handsome or what!?! He’s started full days at Happy Home and does very well.  He even goes on the potty at school (can’t get him to go at home, but baby steps right? ) and even has homework!   He’s a big boy and he really enjoys it! 

This last one just cracks me up!  That’s my boy!

My kids are growing……too fast. 

I realized this yesterday when I told Kev that starting the end of this month Piper could start on cereal and some solid foods.  She’ll hit the 6 month mark on September 21st!  In all honesty, she could probably do cereal now…..I am waiting though…..I guess maybe I am not ready?  

I realized this about once a month when I have to go thru her clothes and put away ones that are too small. 

I realized this today when Mma Adjei called me from Happy Home saying, “Guess What?  Andrew used the big potty!!!!!”  I was so thrilled, but also a bit sad.  Sure, I am ready to be done with diapers with Andrew, but big boy underwear means that he’s becoming a big boy.  (Am I the only mother who feels just a bit scared about this whole potty training thing? )

I realized this last week when I dropped Andrew off at Happy Home and he didn’t cry, but gave me a hug and kiss and waved on the porch till he couldn’t see the truck anymore.  (I was proud and sad all at the same time!)

I also realized this a few days ago when Andrew counted to ten and did all his ABC’s. 

I realized this a few weeks ago when I was organizing photos and came across some old video clips of Andrew learning to crawl!  Kev and I cracked up as we remembered he would slap his hands out in front of him and pull his body.  How could we have forgotten those things after only 2 and a half years? 

I realized it today when I was holding Piper and she started bouncing. 

Some days, I just wish I could freeze them both!  I know though that I would miss out on all the other joyous times of parenting.  This is why I have to cherish every moment…..because it truly goes too fast! 

I sometimes just have to stand in awe of how fast Andrew is growing.  It seems like just yesterday I was bringing him home from Gabs.  A tiny little thing that fit in the crook of my arm. 

Today when I took Andrew to Happy Home, he jumped out of the car seat and was like, “Bye Mommy!” then gave me a hug and kiss and took the Teacher’s hand.  The teacher said, “Wow….big boy today…no tears!!!”  We both praised him for a job well done and I jumped in the truck and headed off.  As I turned to look he was on the porch waving to the truck and blowing kisses.  I melted……..

When I picked him up this afternoon, he came out with a friend.  He turned and said, “Bye…..see you later” and then threw his arms around his little friend.  Both Kev and I beamed.  What a relief to know that he’s fitting in and finding enjoyment of being at school from 8-4pm every day!  The teachers have raved over his progress and he’s no longer clingy and crying for us.  My heart feels good!

He’s quite a kid!  Learning so many words and phrases now.  I think he’s also a bit happier that he can communicate a bit better with us so as a result we don’t have as many meltdowns.  I’m thinking we just might be coming out of the terrible two’s soon……..

Just the other day he wanted to eat a big ear of corn on the cob with the holders just like daddy…….

Kev is his world these days.  I am pretty much chopped liver, but that’s okay I love that he sees Kev as his hero and someone to be like.  

After all, I have this little chicka…….she’s a total mommy’s girl!!

Check out those two teeth!