Better Together

Tunisian/Lybian Border

2011-03-09T08:50:00.003+01:00

A friend of mine created a blog about the events going on at the Tunisian/Libyan border. Pretty interesting stuff:
http://ibernardiblog.blogspot.com/

Our family is safe and doing well and really excited to be going "home" to America soon. It has just given me a second wind of encouragement and excitement. There really is no place like home. Alex can walk and is starting to talk. He can say "Bye Bye, Uh oh, and Da Da." Ellie is a good big sister and is trying to teach him how to run (Oh Boy). It is really fun to see them play together.

Here is a picture of them playing together. Ellie is giving Alex her crown. She is still reigning on her throne of "big sister". Giving away her crown was only an act of charity :).

Day in the Life of Ellie

2011-01-30T20:47:00.006+01:00

Ellie can be a handful. She can also be the funniest and sweetest kid in the world. Trying to raise her is like trying to herd cats (yes, several cats with all the energy she has), but I know that God is going to do something amazing through all that energy. Here are some of her recent one liners that just make me laugh:

While working with legos: "Well, I'll be jiggered."

Praying at night: "God go to Gabby's house and make her back to normal. You can do it." Gabby had the flu and wanted God to heal her. Sweet.

She recently watched the movie Despicable Me and loves it. While praying one night she talked to God about the characters in the movie: "God you know Despicable Me, don't you? God, you like Gru and made 3 girls."

While playing with the Little People Ark with Alex: "You can't fart on the ark because then it will get stinky on the boat." I think she was trying to give Alex advice. Great advice Ellie!

Lastly we were talking about our trip to America this summer. Somehow she remembered (or we said something about it) that my parents have a few cows at their house. While swinging today she said, "Grandpa has cows. Grandpa likes cows." She is pretty excited to get on a plane and see all the people she loves like Grandparents, Aunt Kerri, and their PETS. This kid loves animals. She might pet all their fur off in 3 months, ha!

I don't think she remembers America at all. The last time we were home was 2 years ago...April 2009. It was just for a month and she was only a year and 5 months old. Justin and I are learning what it takes to keep healthy (emotionally and spiritually) while living over here and we have GOT to go home more often. By the time we arrive to America in May, we will have been overseas 4 years consistently with a one month break back home half way through. This year will mark our 6th year living in North Africa. Talk about killer. That is too much time away from the country and family I love. Not to mention how encouraging it is to worship with a room full of people. This may sound really weird, but it is so cool to hear 1,000 people singing to God--like Holy Spirit overload. I took it for granted while living in America and can't wait to experience it once again. Nothing beats the intimacy and accountability of small groups, but worship on a large scale makes me think of heaven and how amazing it will be to see a sea of people worshiping Him-from all over the world. Ellie loves to sing and dance and I think she will LOVE the worship times this summer. We will be in the ones in the back of the church dancing and waving our hands, ha! Only 3 more months and I am counting down. Maybe I can find a pic or video to show off Ellie's amazing personality....um.....maybe this one of her washing her baby and using it like a drum too, but it's still pretty mild for her though.

Beginning steps with crazy hair

2011-01-30T20:33:00.003+01:00

Alex is starting to get a little wild! Wild hair and crazy body movements as he is trying to walk. This video doesn't show the extent of his abilities, but it is a cute one of daddy and Alex. Hard to believe that we will be celebrating his ONE year Birthday next week. Maybe he will be walking by then.?. His little personality is just the cutest. Easy going and although he has a lot of energy like Ellie (ok, maybe 1/2) he likes to cuddle. He also likes to play with large legos, Ellie's hair, and balls. He is boy all the way: loves to figure things out, push buttons, and wrestle.

Videos

2010-11-20T21:58:00.002+01:00

A few new videos of the kids: One is of Alex crawling and the other is of them playing in Alex's pack-in-play on the boat. It's really cute to see them interact together. Alex really loves Ellie and Ellie just likes to smash him or push his buttons. She does get concerned about him too, so that is sweet to see. I keep planting the seed that someday they will be best friends :).

7 Months--Ellie and Alex

2010-09-07T19:06:00.006+01:00

Alex at 7 months. He is learning a lot of things right now and one of those is self-defense.

This picture says it all.

Alex is learning how to hold his own around big sister. He is pretty infatuated with her hair too.

Elianna and Alex are bonding. Elianna actually acknowledges his presence now and is slowly learning how to "love" on her brother in appropriate ways. Alex still isn't sure about all this new love he is receiving.

Grandma's Visit

2010-08-23T20:48:00.005+01:00

Justin visited the states for 2 1/2 weeks to receive some training for his work. His mother, Momma Ruth, came to visit while Justin was away to help me manage the 3-ring circus of an energetic 2 1/2 year old and a 6 month old. There is no way I could have done it without her. After 8 days of doing it on my own I was frazzled. At this age, both kids can need you at the same time and it can get overwhelming fast. This little experience gives me so much more compassion for the wives of our troops overseas. My heart goes out to them and I deeply appreciate their sacrifice for the safety of our country and the benefit of another.

Here are some of my favorite pics from "Grandma Time."

Aren't they cute?? Grandma with her grand kids that is.

4th of July

2010-07-26T16:03:00.004+01:00

Some of our friends who work for the oil company here let us use their amazing home for a 4th of July party while they were in Scotland. These are some of my new favorite Alex pics. He looked so great in his pool attire. He was too cool for the pool.

Pool Time

2010-07-26T15:37:00.002+01:00

Having a blog really is fun. During this season of my life I don't have much time to write long entries, but instead of getting overwhelmed I 'm just going to try to write more often, but shorter entries. They say a picture can say 1,000 words, so who needs text? Here is a video of our new pool for summer. It's small, but perfect for the kids. Yes, Ellie said, "Dance with me" and "We are P." Not really sure what the "we are P" part is all about. She had just watched a Sesame Street video that talked about the letter "P" so I'm hoping she is talking about the letter and not the liquid. Number one pool rule: No pee in the pool, but we can let the letter P come for a visit.

Potty Training

2010-05-12T11:09:00.003+01:00

This is one of those blogs that Elianna is going be to so embarrassed about when she is older. Potty Training is a major accomplishment in both the lives of the child and mother! I can't help but write about it and the pictures are too cute not to include. We now have a Potty Princess in our household and I'm so proud of her. It only took about 2 days until she was basically trained.

She showed signs of interest last week so I wanted to "go with the flow." A friend of mine gave me a book, so I read up on the topic over the weekend and then we began on our day off: last Monday. I knew that I would need Justin's help with Alex while I focused on Elianna. The Sunday night before we went to the store so she could pick out treats for the following day. Of course it was mostly chocolate! She is pretty smart because when we got home she asked for some chocolate and I told her it was for potty training. I told her "when you stay clean and dry by using the potty I will give you some chocolate." Well, she went right into the bathroom and used the potty and then came out and said "Can I have some chocolate now. " Chocolate really motivates this kido!! She had to take her diaper off and everything to get that little piece of chocolate. Of course I gave her some for the amazing jump start.

It's so nice to have only one kido in diapers now. Talk about savings! If Ellie had her way, the extra money would all go to chocolate.

Ellie drinking juice because she was clean and dry. Juice was
another treat she was able to choose from on potty training
day. Oh what a conundrum: Do I choose juice or chocolate!

Trying to Roll

2010-05-12T11:04:00.002+01:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, Alex is trying to roll. Being endowed with a more than healthy body including several fat rolls, I was a little worried that he wouldn't be able to do much more than sleep and eat for several more months. He must have some muscle in there some where, because he is attempting to roll over.

Friends Forever: Sister and Brother

2010-05-12T10:58:00.002+01:00

So Elianna has finally accepted that Alex is going to be a permanent addition to our household. It was a really rough transition for her: lots of anger and mood swings. She even tried avoiding him for months, probably thinking he would go away eventually. Thankfully she has calmed down a lot. She has even been developing an interest in the little guy...maybe a little too much as the video will show :).

Maisy and Alex

2010-04-25T21:27:00.003+01:00

Here is our bouncing baby boy. He is a big boy at that and you can see that most clearly in this video. He is sitting beside Maisy who is 7 1/2 months. Alex is 2 1/2 and almost her size. I think there is only 3-5 pounds difference between them. As you can see, Alex has great ears...at least Maisy thinks so!

This blog is dedicated to my mother-in-law, Ruth, who has not yet held Alex in her arms. We will never fully know the extent of the sacrifices families make when the Lord calls His people to work overseas. Most of all those who are left behind and feel the pain and joy of seeing your children do what they desire to do most--follow Him. We love you Momma Ruth and miss you.

Elianna's 2nd Birthday Invitation

2009-11-15T21:04:00.000+01:00

Make a Smilebox invite

Grandma's Here!

2009-11-10T21:27:00.002+01:00

This is a video of Elianna in her PJ's right before bedtime. My mother-in-law, Ruth Stevens, just arrived today for a 2 week visit. We are so excited she is here and it's been like second Christmas. We have gotten lots of good food from home like hot chocolate mixes, Reece's Peanut Butter Cups, Candy Corn, and Dr. Pepper. Ellie got a lot of clothes and toys from family members. The pink vest she is wearing is from Ruth's sister, Aunt Janet. It's so soft. Aunt Janet also gave her this interactive book and she LOVES it. I thought this video was cute of her wearing and discovering her new toys from America. Hey family, thanks for all the gifts!! We love them.

Anniversary Pictures

2009-10-28T20:59:00.000+01:00

Isn't she cute? Angie took this the night of our Anniversary date. She is in her PJs, ready for bed.

Here we are: The happy couple on their 5th wedding anniversary. Being 25 weeks pregnant, I feel like I look so bloated in this picture! The horror of it all is that my passport needs renewed so Angie was gracious enough to take my head shot that night too. The horror comes in knowing that for the next 10 years the photo on my passport will be me 25 weeks pregnant. Not fair, but praise God for the pregnancy!

Lavishly Loved

2009-10-27T21:28:00.000+01:00

For about 3 years, I've had the joy of hosting a expatriate women's bible study in my house. It's a time for us to let down our hair (sometimes literally) and keep spiritually fresh in an environment that isn't always friendly to Christians. We get to support one another in the midst of facing challenges that overseas living can bring. It is just nice to know you aren't the only one walking down this road and the thoughts and feelings you have are normal.

This semester we are in the books of 1,2,3 John. Our passage last week was 1 John 3:1 "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are....". My friend Jen lead the discussion and she gave us paper crowns to wear to remind us that we are daughters of the KING. She also "lavished" us by bringing a pumpkin shaped and decorated cake made from an American cake mix. Nothing says "lavish" over here like American food products!! We had a really good time and laughed a lot while looking a bit silly in our crowns. For those of us with kids the crowns got put to good use. Elianna loved mine and wore it the next day. It was a little big on her, but that didn't stop my little princess from wearing her crown. Isn't it good to be the daughter/son of the KING!

Here we are wearing our crowns. Only 1/2 showed up that night due to traveling and other issues. Notice the beautiful pumpkin cake:

Here are a few pictures of my little princess wearing her crown:

Poor thing, she looks so sad. That's what you get when you take pictures early in the morning! A princess needs time to wake-up before the photo shoot begins :). Side note: Look at all that hair and she is still only a one year old. Well she is only a month away from two.

It's been way to long!

2009-10-26T21:46:00.003+01:00

About a month after we arrived back in North Africa, I got pregnant and have since fallen off the face of the blogging world. BUT here I am, back again, and ready for more blogging entries. I just have about 6 months to catch-up on!

So maybe I should start with one of our biggest joys this year; we are expecting a baby boy! I'm almost 25 weeks along and the baby is doing great. Some friends of ours have given us some boy clothes (2-4T) and we are slowly getting things ready for his delivery in early-mid Feb. Sometimes I can't believe we will have both a boy and a girl in a few short months, but Justin couldn't be more excited about having boy. It's really neat to see the smile on his face when he puts his hand on my belly to feel his baby boy move. As far as a name goes, we haven't chosen one yet, but hopefully soon. I like Alex or Joel, but Justin likes more modern names like Parker, Carson, or Hunter. You can see we have some work to do to agree on one name together. We both like Justin's middle name, Lance, for the baby's middle name so at least we have that picked out. If any of you have ideas, we are open for suggestions!

Another wonderful event that just happened is that Justin and I just had our 5th wedding anniversary on Oct. 23rd. We went out for a really nice dinner and I played sappy love songs all day in the house. I just love celebrating anniversaries!

Ellie will turn 2 on Nov. 21st and my mother-in-law will be here for that. She is coming to visit in 2 weeks, and I can't wait! It's like second Christmas when she comes and she acts more like a maid than a guest. She really blesses us. This trip we are going to a resort for a few days to give her a taste of relaxation North African style. It will be fun to relax together: without cooking, cleaning, or doing laundry.

A lot of other great things have happened this summer, and more good memories to come. I'm just glad to be back online, journaling (blogging) those memories as they come.

We hope you all are doing well. Let us know what you are up to when time allows. This is one tired mommy signing out for now.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-26T21:44:00.001+01:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Our Trip to America

2009-05-14T13:29:00.005+01:00

Us on Easter at Justin's mom's house. My mom made Ellie's dress.

Bridesmaids:
Left to Right: Friend of the Bride, Destini Hoyt (Justin's cousin), Suzanne Shaw (Justin's youngest sister)

Justin's sister, Heather: THE BRIDE

We just got back 2 weeks ago from America. We had such a wonderful time seeing family and friends. It was great to see Elianna play and bond with her grandparents. No one loves your children like their grandparents. She also got to play with some really cute kids. Amanda and Christina, your kids are sooo adorable! Thanks for sharing them. Ellie enjoyed getting some kido action.

A quick overview of the trip would be: Justin's sister got married (photos included), we ate way too much food (how can you say "no" to Panara Bread), and stocked-up on things for the next couple years. It's hard to believe we will have been in North Africa for 4 years in Sept. The time has really flown by. BUT, it has taken 4 years to feel comfortable here. For some reason coming home this time feels more like home to me. Maybe it's because we have a child and all her things are here. Maybe it's because we have some amazing friends here. Or maybe it is just because it takes that long to adjust to another world. It's probably all of the above.

Here are some random photos of our trip to America. God Bless America!

Flossie

2009-05-14T13:01:00.003+01:00

My brother, Wayne, and his wife have the cutest dog named Flossie. Kaie, my sister-in-law, saw the dog as a puppy abandon beside the road and saved it. It is the tamest dog and Ellie fell in love with her. This is a video of them together. Flossie let Ellie "ride" her and Ellie went a little wild. How did Flossie respond? She turned around a gave Ellie a puppy kiss. Ellie tried to repay the favor (giving Flossie a kiss), but they both ended up rolling on the ground. It was so cute. There is just a special bond between a boy/girl and their dog...even if the dog is a cousin.

A Few New Pics

2009-02-01T14:04:00.003+01:00

Hi guys, nothing new is happening here. Decided to post a few new pictures of Elianna. I took them because a new friend of mine told me about this great deal on FREE Valentine Photo cards. So I grabbed my camera and went to town trying to get Ellie to smile while looking at the camera at the same time. This girl doesn't sit still long, so it was a work-out. After about 50 shots I got one or two worth using. The one with chocolate on her face is from our adventure in making chocolate chip cookies together. It was pretty cute so I just had to post it too.

2009 Came Just in Time

2009-01-18T15:14:00.002+01:00

I’m now fully convinced the yearly ritual of making goals over New Year's is worth the time. There is something to say about reflecting on the previous year and aiming for higher goals. For example, Justin and I were able to take 2 weeks off from meetings, language lessons, and other appointments to renew our focus on the upcoming year while spending irreplaceable family time together. We spent most of that time sick, but some very wonderful changes in my life were sparked. Looking back on 2008 I realized that having a baby is in-fact a life-altering event. Imagine that! What I didn’t expect was who I had become when life squeezed me like a lemon. “Flesh Woman” had taken over! Maybe it’s better explained to say I found out who I really was without Jesus. It’s amazing how stress can peel back those layers of your inner heart to show you the mess that still waits for some cleaning action from Mr. Clean (aka: Jesus). It should have been obvious that I wasn’t feeding myself enough spiritually. Well, maybe it was obvious to Justin who got a daily flogging from Flesh Woman. Without Jesus working in my life I realized I’m complainer, discontent, moody, testy, bad tempered, horrible mouthed woman. Wow, that is not what I had in mind for my life or the legacy I want to leave behind to my children. I can just imagine Elianna talking about me during my funeral and having a hard time trying to find something nice to say. Praise God we have a Savior; someone who can save us from ourselves. When Paul talks about our flesh in Philippians he wrote: “For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh…” Phil 3:3. Those words are life to me now because I know what my fleshly heart looks like and I put NO confidence in what I can do by myself. I need Jesus in my heart leading me, guiding me-especially in motherhood. Left to myself I would make a mess out of everything. 2008 was a tough year, but it was the best lesson I ever learned: “(I) know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” Romans 7:17-19. So what do I hope to change in 2009? Everything!

Since I’m really visual when it comes to learning I bought a large white board to put my lifetime and yearly goals on that includes monthly scripture I want to memorize in English and Arabic. Just to remind me what my sinful nature looks like I wrote all the things I struggle with on one side and all the things I hope to be in my lifetime on the other. Those include being content, faithful, loving, compassionate, a good listener, servant-hearted, gracious, etc. Then Justin and I created a family theme for the year, “Time with Jesus”, that I wrote on the top of the board. I tried to keep my yearly goals really simple, so I wouldn’t forget with my “baby brain” and so I would actually get them done in a year (hopefully). Here are a few:
1. Daily time with Jesus by using the The-One-Year Bible I borrowed from a friend
2. Read “Dare to Discipline” by Dobson
3. Memorize a scripture every month in English and Arabic
4. Memorize the sacrifice synopsis to use in evangelism
5. Lose 40 pounds and get pregnant again (some of them are lofty)
6. Be a good wife, mom, and a good friend

The list could go on and on with all the things I want to do, but these are the most important to me and what I think can actually be do-able living in Africa and having a small child. Gotta start somewhere right?

So keep me accountable friends. I have a lot of work to do!

Christmas Overview

2009-01-16T21:47:00.004+01:00

Justin and Elianna with some of our friends at our Christmas party

The kids decorating cookies

Ellie and her buddy, Gabby, spreading the love

This is going to be a very uplifting post (just kidding), because this winter has brought a lot of sickness. It started a couple days before Christmas when a friend of ours went to London and came back sick with a virus. I (Veronica) got it first and then passed it on to Justin and probably the rest of our friends unknowingly. We canceled our Christmas day activities with our friends and got together a few days after to celebrate. I’ve included a couple pictures of our time together. We had a blast and Justin and I felt great, but 2 days after our time together a lot of our friends got sick. We’ve been passing around colds, fevers, and stomach flu’s ever since. Guess we need to spend some major time away from each other to get over all this. Part of me wonders if it is a spiritual battle, or if God wants us to learn how to take care of one another in sickness, or if we all just needed a break and the only way we slow down is for Him to allow us to be sick. Maybe it’s a little of all of them. Guess we will never know, but I am ready for a season of health. The silver lining in all of this is the time I’ve had with Justin. You don’t really talk when you are sick, but just having him in the house is nice. Can you tell my love language is time!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-01-14T21:48:00.003+01:00

It feels like forever since I have posted something. I have a ton to catch-up on, but I thought I would start with the star of the show and make grandparents happy :). She is the reason they check this blog anyway...right? It's ok, I can't blame you. She is pretty cute.

It has been raining the past several days so Elianna and I made Chocolate Chip Cookies for our man. Justin loves them. Someday she will be great help in the kitchen, but until then I spend just about as much time cleaning up after her as I do preparing the food. It works out great just having one kido. Adding a little time for clean-up is usually no problem. Add a baby and I think plans will change. Better enjoy this time while it lasts. Anyway, Ellie loves chocolate and that was great motivation for her to help. You know how it goes: eat a little, stir a little. She was a real ham for the camera when I took still shots, but I thought you might like to see her skills in person. With a little training she'll be a chef sometime soon...ok, maybe with a LOT of training. Better get the grandmas over here soon to teach her the "right" way :). She'll be in real trouble if I'm her only influence.

OH and here is another little story about Elianna. Usually I do my quiet time in the front room with a cup of black coffee during her morning nap time. Well I guess I forgot to bring the coffee cup in from the living room this morning, because after nap time she found the cup. There must have been some coffee left because when I caught her she had coffee dripping from her mouth with a look of disgust on her face. Guess she is not a coffee drinker yet. It was pretty cute to see her try. I should count my blessings that she didn’t break the cup or pour out the coffee!

Final note here: check out the clump of cookie dough on the wall in the video. We make sure the whole kitchen is covered when we are cooking.

Our Virtual Christmas Card

2008-12-21T23:28:00.001+01:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Blowing Out the Christmas Tree

2008-12-01T13:40:00.003+01:00

During the time of Elianna's birthday (about 1 1/2 weeks ago) we tried to teach her how to blow out a candle. We practiced a couple times on the day of her birthday with no avail. Little did I know that all I needed to do was put up a Christmas tree! She thinks the lights are candles and blows at it every time she sees it. I can walk past the living room to the kitchen with her in my arms and the second she sees the tree she starts blowing. She doesn't even have to be close. It is so funny (at least for us). Here is a little video I took hours after we put up the tree.

Photo Scrapbook

2008-11-27T23:54:00.002+01:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2008-11-27T22:06:00.003+01:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We are so thankful for all our friends and family. The other day we were watching "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" and learned that America was the first country to designate an official holiday to give thanks. It just stirs up a little American pride to know that our country is a "thankful" country. We have definitely commercialized it since the days of Samoset and Squanto, but taking a day to celebrate thankfulness is refreshing. As Christians we get the opportunity to celebrate the Giver (our heavenly Father) for the blessings He gives. You are one of those many blessings!

This year Thanksgiving was at our house. We hosted a little over 30 people and it was a ton of fun. The guys started the day with a little American football (played on a soccer field) at 8:30 am and then went home to get cleaned-up and arrived around 11:30 am at our house for food. After eating the traditional Thanksgiving food people with small kids went home for nap time and those who could stay played card games. About 4 pm our friends invited everyone over for a bonfire and we roasted marshmallows for smores. It was a wonderful day and sharing it with friends made it even sweeter.

We did have a bit of adventure the day before. Our friend who bought the turkeys for the meal needed 3 to feed 30 people. The turkeys tend to be a little smaller here than in the states and Justin calls them "marathon runners." So, I needed to cook one of them in my oven too. I have NEVER cooked a turkey before, so I had no idea what I was doing. Good thing our friends gave us step by step directions. Looking back it was actually easier than I thought, but I count my blessings that our friend David was home when the turkey was delivered. In our country they like the taste of neck meat so they leave the neck on the turkey. Our friends told us to cut it off, and that is where the adventure starts. The spinal cord on a turkey is really tough to cut. I had a hard time looking at it in the first place, let alone cutting body parts off of it. This is where David, our 18 year old friend, saved the day. We found a hack-saw in Justin's tools and cleaned it (before and after) cutting off the neck. He has neutered pigs before so cutting a neck off a turkey is nothing :). Good news is that I took pictures of the process so you too can partake of the turkey fun. Yes, in one of the pictures David is getting ready to put the turkey in a trash can (only thing big enough to hold the salt water to soak it in). Don't worry, we cleaned the trash can out with bleach. Gosh this is sounding really bad, but just another Thanksgiving in Africa. Ha. When it was all said and done we had a beautiful, bronzed, tasty, turkey. Ahhh, I love stories with good endings!

THANK YOU

2008-11-22T15:16:00.000+01:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Kolby's Birthday Party

2008-11-17T22:02:00.002+01:00

This is Birthday month in North Africa! Kolby Grogg just had his 4th birthday and we got to party hardy with him on Saturday. Reasa (his mom) had the cute idea of making "Thomas the Train" coloring sheets as the invitation to the party and then the kids colored them and brought them back to use as decorations for the party. Super cute idea, but Elianna would rather eat her crayon than color. So, Grandma Ruth got the job to teach Elianna how to color. They did great and although our picture wasn't the prettiest, it had color on it :). The picture above shows Grandma Ruth teaching Ellie how to color. Then we have a picture of the birthday boy with his grandma at Kat Kout (kido amusement park). The last picture is of Ellie and Grandma on a ride at Kat Kout. Elianna's birthday is this Friday, 21st, so we will be dancing to "Happy Birthday To You" once again. Wish you all could be here and celebrate birthday fun with us.

Grandmas are Here!

2008-11-15T22:38:00.003+01:00

This past Tuesday, 11th, Justin's mom (Ruth Stevens) came to North Africa! Yahoo. It has been a blast getting to show her around the city. She has been a huge blessing to us and especially to Elianna. Grandma and granddaughter are buddies. I'm going to be in big trouble after she leaves because there is no way I will be able to give her that much attention. We are creating good memories and enjoying our "second" Christmas with all the cards and gifts brought over by Ruth. Thank you all for the showering of love you sent with her.

The picture above is of the grandmas with their grand kids. Ruth traveled with Reasa's mom, Diane. It's good to have a traveling buddy especially when the traveler is another grandmother too. Reasa and I are thrilled they can travel together.

I will post more pictures soon, but wanted to post at least one. Yeah for GRANDMA's!

Birthday Invite

2008-11-14T18:00:00.001+01:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Our Little Angel

2008-11-07T13:47:00.006+01:00

This past Wednesday, a few teenagers hosted a "Costume Carnival". Kids from several different nationalities came. It was so neat to see all the outfits and the smiles on the kids faces. The parents set-up booths and the kids literally bounced from booth to booth. Reasa and I did one together called the Treat Trott-like a Cake Walk. Unfortunately Justin wasn't able to come to all of it, but he was able to be there for the food (what guy misses food, right?). It was definitely a "don't miss" event for the family. It was also a good time for me to learn the children's names and meet some new parents too.

Elianna went as an angel and I made her some wings out of cardboard and wrapping paper (the halo is wrapping paper as well). It actually stayed on her the whole night, which was really surprising. My goal was simple: first, get it on her/ second, take some pictures. These are a couple pictures of our Little Angel and her friends.

Jon (as Jon), Reasa (Princess), Gabby (Indian), and Kolby (Train Conductor)

Our little Angel hanging out with her Jedi friend, David:

Taking a rest on the floor before the big event:

First Songs

2008-11-05T12:15:00.003+01:00

Elianna LOVES music. When I play the guitar, bongo drum, or flute she is right beside me trying to do the same actions. She blows air in flute and loves to pound on the drum. The guitar is a little more off limits because she can do a lot more damage fast, but we still let her feel the strings. She has also learned to do the actions to a few songs. Here are some of her favorites. This is the first recored video clip we have of her doing the motions to the songs. Please excuse my voice and focus more on her cute little signs. She claps to "If Your Happy and You Know It" and she has also learned to make a little light with her finger in the song "This Little Light of Mine" (although that is not as obvious to see). Hope you get some laughs.

Rainy Day

2008-10-30T10:01:00.002+01:00

Today started off well. My friend, Blair, and I had play date plans at the zoo and the weather looked great. Looked forward to it all day long. THEN, while hanging out at the zoo we got rained on. Not just a light sprinkle either, it was raining hard! We laughed about it and counted our blessing on the way home that an elderly man helped us find a taxi. It wasn't until I got home and saw my laundry laying on the wet, dirty floor outside (they were drying) that frustration boiled inside me. There are just some modern convinces that I took for granted while living in the states and a dryer is one of them. Writing all this to say....Give your dryer a hug today. Here are some photos of Elianna and my rainy day mess.

First Step

2008-10-26T22:17:00.002+01:00

On October 22nd, Justin saw Elianna take her first step by herself! I was out with a friend and Justin was watching her. This is how the story goes: She had a book that she was playing with and was giving to Justin. She was standing by the couch and he took the book from her. He knew she would want it back so he handed it to her just far enough away that she would have to take a step to get it. The rest is history. She took her first step and got the book. Since that time she has taken several more "one" steps. Maybe someday soon she will be walking around by herself. Until that time she is getting lots of practice on her push toys that some friends of ours have allowed us to borrow.

Hair Cont...

2008-10-26T21:57:00.001+01:00

Here are a few more of my favorites.

Hair, Hair, Hair

2008-10-26T21:01:00.005+01:00

Hi, we are back!! It has been forever since I have posted, but I hope to remedy that soon. This posting isn't very revolutionary concerning our family or daughter, BUT it is a major part of our lives. This major truth is HAIR, HAIR, HAIR. Elianna has a ton of it. Some days I dream of waking up and finding that she somehow became bald during the night, but at the same time I really enjoy fixing it and trying to tame the monster. The lady who cleans our house informed me that parents here cut their children's hair short until 2 years of age. Now I know why. Some days I think about joining in on this cultural norm, but then I can never muster up the courage to do it. It just makes Elianna, Elianna. Here are a few memorial hair pictures.

Kitchen Help

2008-09-23T22:27:00.003+02:00

Who ever designed our kitchen forgot one little detail: cabinet doors! Elianna is loving it because everything is so accessible for her little hands to grab and explore. Thankfully my friend Reasa helped me arrange our kitchen when we moved-in so that it would be child proof. My mom is making curtains to work as doors, but until those arrive via mail Elianna is having the time of her life (and I'm always out of breath). Thought I would share pictures of my little "helper."

Elianna is leaning on the only cabinet in our kitchen that as doors. Why? Because she knows that Cheerios from grandma are inside. Look at that smile. She can't wait to sink her 2 teeth into them.

Engagement Party

2008-09-04T09:05:00.004+02:00

Engagement pictures of Elianna's babysitter.

Last Saturday evening we went to the engagement party of a close friend of ours, Imen. She babysits Elianna during our language lessons and you could say she is Elianna's Arabic teacher. Imen's older sister Manel is our Arabic tutor so we have known the family since we got here (about 3 years). We had a lot of fun and Elianna did great. The party didn't start until 9:00 pm, so she had a very late night. I prayed the whole day that the loud music wouldn't bother her ears and that she would be in a good mood. She totally surprised Justin and I when she actually enjoyed the music and even tried to dance "baby style." Kids are so much more resilient than we think. She totally acted like everything was normal. You can see the engaged couple below and listen to the traditional music from the live band. It's amazing they have a huge party like this for just the engagement. The poor couple "to be" just sit on a platform the whole night while people dance and look at them. It would feel a little awkward to me, but that is tradition. Typically the "groom-to-be" brings the engagement ring and a few other gifts to the bride and her family during this party. Hope you enjoy the video and get a little taste of the culture we live and work in. This time next year we will be posting pictures of their wedding.

Processing Life

2008-09-03T22:00:00.002+02:00

Not sure if copy right laws apply to blogs or not, but I just can't help putting a couple paragraphs from my friend Reasa's blog on here. We have been processing life together and I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have a fellow friend and mother to process with. Here is what we have been working through lately. (Side note: Reasa's husband is Jon) :

"Lately I have been stressing myself out and I couldn't really figure out why. I tried to put it all into words the other night while I was talking to Jon. It really came down to figuring out who I am here in this place. Thankfully, Jesus provided my friend Veronica and I with some time to take a walk with the kids yesterday (in the heat of the day! what were we thinking?!). After chatting awhile we figured out we were both struggling with some of the same emotions. One being guilt. I remembered something I heard from our friend Phil when he and his wife visited this Spring. He said (well, what I heard him saying anyways!) was in order to truly be authentic you have to keep the gap closed between who you know you are and who people think you are. That is why I started this blog back then...in hopes of keeping this gap closed. I don't want my friends and family back in America to think I am something I am not. And when I feel like I haven't clearly communicated who I really am and what I am doing here then I allow myself to feel guilty...like shouldn't I be able to learn a new language, build relationships with nationals, have good relationships with Americans here, keep a clean house, never have dishes in the sink, stay on top of relationships back in America, grow in the Lord, take care of my husband and my 2 children, exercise & eat right, cook healthy meals, read books about parenting, get out of my house, and get 2 loads of laundry done a day (without a dryer)?? I mean, really, what is wrong with me??!! I guess I finally came to the conclusion I can't get all of these things done perfectly :) Are any of you surprised? :) I didn't think so!

Phil shared Hebrews 3:12-14 with us when he was talking about being authentic and also the importance of encouraging one another. Authenticity and encouragement are what help us choose Him over sin. I had never really put that together when reading these verses before. But now it makes perfect sense to me why I need other people and why I need to allow people to see the real me. It produces unity, harmony, and is praise to the Lord (Romans 15:7). And it helps me put aside my own fleshly desires & reactions (like grabbing the chocolate when the ants start coming in through my cabinets).

Jon used this verse to encourage me the other night. Maybe it can also encourage you today...leave the dishes in the sink, forget about the dirty floor and all the demands that come with raising small people...b/c when we know Jesus, we have everything we need already :)

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3

I am so thankful that what I need to be doing most of all is just knowing Jesus."

Veronica here: Can I get an amen to this insightful work of blog theology? Yes, I am totally blessed to have friends around me who love the Lord more than anything else this world has to offer; even things in Africa like cheap amusement parks. I'm not really sure what people think about us living in Africa. About what our life is like and the challenges we face or don't face. All I know is that my life feels pretty simple right now. I'm a stay-at-home mother of a cute 9 month old who is trying her best to love her husband and love those around her. Some days that role is easier than others. What I want more than anything else is authentic relationships with my friends and family so that the stress of being someone I'm not will vanish and I can just be me. The unglamorous, simple, yet fun loving (wink) woman God is creating me to be. Stay tuned into this blog for even more insightful words of wisdom from Reasa-- as soon as we are able to find time to walk together and process more. First it is discovering the value of being vunerable and authentic, next we will tackle world hunger and euthanasia. Well, more like the best cure for diaper rash, but that's is interesting too...right?

More Birthday Pictures

2008-09-03T21:42:00.003+02:00

So this is the 3rd time I've tried to upload these pictures. Our internet has been really slow lately, so hopefully it will work this time. Here are a few more pictures from the birthday party. My favorite is the one of Elianna smiling at Jakin while he is crying his head off. Hey, it's his party so he can cry if he wants to. Maybe Elianna needs a few more lessons on how to be compassionate and to mourn with those who mourn. Don't babies come out knowing this stuff already? I know, we just forgot to install the "compassion" computer program into her system. Guess we have to pay extra for that :).

Birthday Party

2008-09-02T09:53:00.004+02:00

You might be thinking, "Are you guys in Walt Disney world?" No, but it is not far from being a very small version of it. This is a video taken at a local kids amusement park. Elianna's friend Jakin turned one on Aug. 30th so she was able to go to his 1st Birthday Party. We had cake and ice cream at the birthday boy's house and then off we went to the amusement park. There were 8 kids at the party--four years old and younger. Can you imagine? It actually wasn't total chaos and the kids had a ball together. The grown-ups had fun too as you can see Justin is really enjoying taking his daughter on the rides. The neat part about going to a amusement park in North Africa is that it is free to get in and you will only spend about $5-10 dollars on the whole evening. I consider this one of the many perks of living overseas. Guess what? This park is all year around, so guess where we will be going for Elianna's 1st birtday party? You got it--the local amusement park. Justin's mom will be visiting us during that time so she will get to enjoy a little amusement park action too. Gotta love birthday parties! I'm still in shock that this place actually exists over here. Ahhhh, it feels like a little piece of home.

First Tooth

2008-09-02T09:45:00.002+02:00

Elianna has a tooth! Now she can chomp away at all the "real" food. She just tried pizza for the first time last week and really likes it. She is already taking after her father :). All you can see in this picture is a little bump, but we promise it is really there. Now the tooth beside it is popping up too. Oh the joys of being a parent. It doesn't take much to get us excited about our kids.

I just got this email from my friend Kristie. She has 2 little boys (2 and 4 years old). Her email said, "Kaedren said the funniest thing today! He asked how many teeth Elianna had.
We told him "one." He wanted her to be able to eat real food so he said (in
a very sincere tone), "She can borrow my silly teeth" (the hillbilly ones we
bought at Walmart!). What a great idea!" Kids are so thoughtful. Well Kaedren, we might take you up on that offer.

Home Tour

2008-09-01T10:47:00.003+02:00

Here is a tour of our home. Since not many of you would be able to make a "welcome to our new home" party, we thought a video might help. We haven't completely unpacked yet, but we are getting really close. This house is such a blessing. We will have plenty of room to host visitors, raise a family, and create a refuge for friends who might stop by. Now, we just have to let the land lord know that she can't kick us out any time soon. We welcome all who want to come for a visit. We've got a guest room waiting for you and dinner is on us!

Moving Day

2008-08-24T10:38:00.005+02:00

I'm going a little backwards with my blogs. Showed you a little of the house first and now I'm going to talk about the moving day. It was quite a feat of muscle and sweat.

We moved on Aug. 15th. It was the very last day we could stay in our old house. The house we moved into wasn't finished yet, but we didn't have a choice. We waited as long as possible and even gave our new land lord 15 extra days to get the work done, but the work ethic isn't the same as it is in the states. Today is the 24th and we just got the rest of the cement work done in the house. There is a little painting left to do, but with Ramadan starting in a few days, I'm just hoping the work will get done by winter. Justin and I have already done some painting of our own. We are learning how to do all kinds of things over here. The African adventure never ends!

Ok, so back to moving day. We had everyone meet at our house at 8:30 am. About 10 guys showed up and in 2 hours the old house was empty and the new house was filled. AMAZING. We only moved 2 minutes away from our old house. It was so funny to see the faces of the nationals. They couldn't believe how the foreigners worked. Eventually the driver of the moving truck got out of the back and just let our guys do the work. Our former land lord told Justin the day after, "You will never see people here work like that. It would have taken us all day. Incredible, just incredible." We feel so blessed to have wonderful friends who are willing to sweat in 100 degree weather to help us move. The body of Christ takes on many forms and one of those is a moving crew. :) We ate pizza together afterwards and enjoyed hanging out while the sweat cooled. Nothing like a little sweat to tighten the bonds of friendship. I've included some pictures of a few of the guys who helped us move. Pretty good looking gang aren't they?

Home Sweet Home

2008-08-24T09:51:00.004+02:00

Hello everyone. It has been almost a month since my last post. It has been a whirl wind of a month, but we are finally in our new home and I'm able to "nest" once again. I have enough pictures for several blogs so in the next few days I will try and post several articles, but for now I wanted to catch you up on the best part--our new home. We moved into a "fixer-upper" but thankfully Justin is good with fixing things. I think it is a source of stress relief for him too. Here is a little overview of our new home: 4 bedrooms (our room, Ellie's room, guest room, and office for Justin); 1 sm. bathroom with shower and a closet toilet; BIG kitchen (yippee); living room and dining room combo; with a garage and garden in process outside. Here are a few pics of the new house.

The Living/Dining Room

The Kitchen

Ok, it is taking forever to upload these pictures today. So I will stop with the picture tour and maybe convince Justin to give you a video walk through of our house later today. At least you can see a little of our new home. Hope you all are doing well. Have a good Sunday!

Packing

2008-08-03T23:26:00.003+02:00

We have been packing almost everyday for the past couple days getting ready to move. We didn't want to move, but our land lord's daughter wanted our home (which is located right below his) so out we go. Can't blame her, it has been a wonderful house and I'm really going to miss it. It has represented security, comfort, and peace in a not always friendly culture. God has provided a wonderful new house for us to make into a home. The new place is wonderful, but I'm a little tired of moving. Good thing the bible says our home is in heaven. At least there is one home I will never have to move away from.

Elianna has been a champ while packing. She has no idea what is going on, but it sure is fun in her eyes. So many boxes to play with, so little time. One day Justin and I were packing in the bedroom when Elianna crawled away. I didn't hear anything for a while, so I wondered what was going on. When I found her she was going through one of our book boxes. It was so cute I had to take a video of her. Her career as a librarian is off to a good start! All she needs to learn now is how to read. Eating the pages might be a resume killer too.

Beach

2008-08-03T23:00:00.004+02:00

Every Thursday some friends of ours have decided to have "beach day" in August. Everything slows down during the month of August here because it is so hot and it is not unusual for families to take 2-4 weeks of vacation. Our trips are usually only a couple hours because Elianna wears out pretty quickly, but she sure loves the ocean. We bought a "floaty" that she is able to sit in. She kicks her feet and tries to jump while sitting in it from excitement. She is figuring out what sand is all about too. Since everything goes into her mouth she has definitely tasted both sand and ocean. Here are a few pictures from our last ocean adventure.

Bye, Bye

2008-07-30T14:16:00.003+02:00

Elianna just learned how to wave Bye Bye. She probably doesn't understand exactly what it means, but it is still so cute to see her try! Parents relish their kids and we all think they are "advanced," but Elianna REALLY is. I mean she sits, eats, crawls, waves bye bye--this is one totally interactive doll. Ok, ok, you're right. Every other 8 month old can do this too, but are they as cute when they do it? I've thrown being unbiased out the door when it comes to her. Just flexing my parental right.

Mom and Dauther

2008-07-30T14:12:00.002+02:00

I'm usually on the other side of the camera, so Ellie and I don't have a lot of pictures together just as mother and daughter. Jen took this picture at her going away party.

Another Crazy Day in Africa

2008-07-27T21:26:00.006+02:00

Where do I start? Maybe here, you know it is just another day in Africa when you have to push your little taxi out of the sand because he thought his car was a 4x4 truck. Here is the story: Jennifer, our friend, is leaving Africa to go home and possibly pursue a degree in Nursing. The girls decided it would be nice to do something for her during her last weekend here. She likes the beach so the guys babysat while the girls went to stretch their legs and enjoy a little "baby" freedom at a beach not far from our homes. On the way our taxi driver offered to take us back home when we were ready. That sounded like a good idea to us because it can be hard to find taxis at this particular beach. So we set a time and off we went to enjoy the sun and become bronzed beauties. Well, not me..I only have 2 colors: red and white. My body doesn't do tan. Anyway, 2 hours later the taxi called me to confirm we were ready and we told him we were on our way to the parking lot. While walking we noticed a taxi in the sand. Could this be OUR taxi? No way, he wouldn't try to be Evil Knievel in the sand on a hot day like today. Yup, sure enough there he was "waiting" for us. Gotta say, that is some curb service if we didn't have to push him out. So Jennifer, her sister, Reasa, and I all got behind his little car to push him out of the sand. Guess our manly muscles were not enough, but Reasa got a chance to drive it as he tried to push with us. That is a first in my book: a foreigner behind the wheel of a taxi. Finally a group of guys came with a bigger rig and pulled him out. Hopefully that Taxi driver learned some great lessons in "sand" driving....just don't do it (at least not in a car). We had fun and made some great memories. Just another crazy day in Africa.

Ellie on the Run

2008-07-27T20:48:00.004+02:00

Maybe all kids are this way at this age, but Elianna is constantly moving--and the faster the better. Once she learned how to sit-up, that evening she learned how to crawl. Once she learned how to crawl, she learned how to RUN in her walker. This is kido has a need for speed. She might start off slow, but she can sure gain speed fast. I've included a video of our little Nascar driver. Just imagine her hitting you at full-speed in the leg while you were doing the dishes or folding laundry. I've learned how to get out of the way fast! It is pretty cute when she comes running to you and you are ready for it. Just make sure you are ready for her :).

Gabby Walks, Ellie Pulls

2008-07-22T13:57:00.003+02:00

Gabriela is walking! We caught her on video taking several steps in a row (that's a first for her unassisted), but I think that Elianna was a little jealous because if you watch closely at the end of the video you will see Elianna pulling her down. It's tough being 6 months younger and always in the shadow of the physically more mature :), just kidding. Sorry about the video being on it's side. I couldn't figure out how to turn it around.

Best Friends Forever

2008-07-22T11:34:00.003+02:00

Gabriela Grogg is 6 months older than Elianna and I can't explain how happy I am that Elianna will have a friend to grow-up with living overseas. Reasa (Gabby's mom) and I call them our "puppies" because they act like puppies when they play together. It is so cute. They will become best friends, FOR SURE. I've included a video of them playing together. Gabby is cleaning her with a wash cloth as any good mom would do! Reasa is in the background and this video was taken at our house in Elianna's room. Here is a big sigh of relief for the blessing of good friends, Ahhhhhhh.

Laughing Baby

2008-07-20T10:58:00.003+02:00

You never know what will make a baby laugh. Sometimes it's the craziest things. For example, Elianna loves to be kissed on her nose. She thinks it is really funny and especially when her daddy makes funny noises leading up to the kiss. Gotta love the suspense. We decided to post this video to show you that she really is a happy baby. After seeing the veggie video, you might think we are really mean parents. Here is our laughing baby!

Ellie's Adventures in Eating

2008-07-18T19:01:00.003+02:00

Hi Everyone,

We thought we'd give a try at posting a video of Ellie. Feeding her has been entertaining at times, more than we ever thought it would be. Too bad we don't have on video the first time she tried potatoes when she showed us some new skills in facial expressions, vocal expressions, and physical contortions. She made us laugh and at the same time realize that we were officially embarking on a new journey with her.

Here's a short clip of Ellie 'enjoying' some vegetables.

Hope you all get a kick out of this like we did!

Average Day

2008-07-18T14:24:00.003+02:00

My Joys! Justin and Elianna on the 4th of July

Some people have asked me, "So what's an average day like for you? " To fully answer their question I would have to refer them to Elianna. My time is her time and I'm loving every minute of it. Motherhood has been an amazing, rewarding, and yet tiring God-given role. I get to take the role of servant and she gets to take the role of learner. She's our little disciple and who could better teach her the ropes than good 'ole mom...right? Don't comment on this one mom. To answer the question more fully about what my day is like I've included Elianna's schedule in the right-side column. During her wake times we usually read books, have pool parties (baby pool that is) with our friends and neighbor the Grogg's, or go for a walk. My current frustration is not having a car so we are pretty limited on where we can go. Some days my world feels very small, as any mother of small kids would probably yell "Amen," but better a small world with her than a large one with out her and Justin.

She's Standing

2008-07-17T19:22:00.004+02:00

Justin has been telling me myths (or so I thought) about Elianna standing-up in bed. I didn't think she had learned to pull-up on things yet, but was I wrong! Look what I found today after her late afternoon nap! She is one smart cookie. Once she learned how to sit-up, it has been non-stop action ever since: sitting-up, crawling, pulling-up, standing-up. Now I just need to teach her how to pack boxes.

We Finally Have A Blog!

2008-07-17T12:40:00.000+02:00

Hi friends and family, guess what? We finally have a blog. I know, I know it has taken us a while, but I'm not the best with technology so I'm learning baby step by baby step. I'm actually pretty excited about starting a blog because I think it will be a good form of therapy! You will get countless pages detailing all my frustrations of what it's like living overseas. What could possibly be more interesting? Ok-I know, you are here for Elianna, but Justin and I are people too. Well, I can't blame you for loving her. She is pretty cute.

We hope you enjoy our blog. I will do my best to keep it updated and full of photos of our family. Have patience while I figure this thing out. We will be moving Aug. 15th too, so I might be MIA for a while. We love you all.