luke turns ONE (part 2)

After the afternoon of swimming at the pool, we can home, took a little rest & started gearing up for the birthday party. We invited our teammates & honorary grandparents, Randy & Susan, as well as our dear national friends & honorary aunt & uncle, Biba & Cephas.

GB helped prep the fixin's for the burgers he would be grilling that evening.

I've always wanted to make the hamburger cupcakes I saw on Bakerella many moons ago & this was the perfect occasion. A grill out birthday party is complimented very well by desserts that look like burgers! The tops & bottoms are yellow cupcakes, the "burger" is a brownie & the condiments & lettuce are different colored layers of frosting.

I also wanted Luke to have an actual cake (even though he didn't eat it) & my parents brought Mickey birthday plates & napkins, so that decided the cake theme. I had extra brownies leftover from the cupcakes, so I just arranged them to look like a Mickey silouhette.

As guests started to arrive, Luke was a little anxious so he went to his Bebe for comfort!

We are so blessed to have friends here who love our children! Susan & Biba are so dear to our family!

GB was volunteered, once again, to be the grill master & cooked up some mean burgers & dogs for the festivities.

Cephas & Biba love our kids and our kids love them! Outside of family (Mark, myself & grandparents), Luke is only comfortable with 2 other people: Issa (our house helper) & Cephas. It does a mama's heart good to know that there are at least 2 other people in this country who my son will NOT cry with!

We gave everyone their own bottle of Fanta & used it as place cards! Even Izzy got a big girl drink!

Luke enjoyed his birthday grill out bash & especially devoured the baked beans!

After we ate, we sang to the birthday boy & then began to watch him take hold of his very first piece of cake ... or burger cupcake, as it was. He wasn't sure of it at first but then he took it apart & saw the frosting & that was it!

He was so excited. He kept looking at us like, "Can I really eat this? Is this for me?"

"Yes sir, it is for you! Have at it!" And he did ... fist full by fist full he ate that WHOLE thing in no time!

Izzy got her cupcake & thought we were supposed to sing to her, too. She said, "Mommy, my turn. Sing to me now." Bless her heart! She loves birthdays & the idea of birthday cakes & has been talking about her birthday cake for 6 months. She already tells people she's 3 because she wants her birthday to be here SO bad!

I am not lying, y'all, when I tell you that Luke devoured his brownie part of the cupcake in 3 bites!

And he was SO happy to have eaten all that yummy cake & sugar!

But got quite upset when there was no more!

I just love my son so much & cannot believe that he's already a year old!! Time, can you just please slow down for a little bit?

luke's turns ONE (part 1)

On February 24, our little boy turned ONE!!! I cannot believe it's been a year since this ... 

We started the day with letting Luke open a few presents from us & his grandparents.

He's not quite the pro at opening presents like his sister so we let her help out every once in a while! 

He loved his new toy from his Gaga & Papa. (Truth be told ... Izzy LOVES Luke's new toy!)

After a few presents, we packed up & headed to the pool. It's a tradition that we started with Isabelle on her 1st birthday & then again on her 2nd & now for Luke.

Izzy was so excited to be going to the pool! She loves it!!

While poolside, we had a little birthday lunch of cheese quesadillas for the birthday boy!

And we soaked up lots of fun & sweet memories with the birthday boy!

And, of course, made some time to play with the Belle!

Stay tuned for birthday party pictures!

the messy life of a missionary mom

I've been stewing on writing something about my life as a missionary mom for some time now. I've debated whether or not to write it because, frankly, I'm assuming it'll probably bore all of you to tears! But I've decided to just go with it because one day I might like to look back at this blog & say, "Huh, and I thought it was hard then!" Or I may look back & go, "So that's what life was like in ye old Niger. Glad I wrote it down!"

Because, honestly, at this point in my life I seem to be forgetting stuff rather quickly & I find myself forgetting not only where I put my sunglasses but things I really thought I'd remember like when Isabelle completed some milestone or what some of her first words were. If I haven't taken the time to write those down, they're pretty much gone forever ... amidst a lot of other stuff!

So onto the gist of this post ... I tend to find that a lot of people in the States have no clue what life is like on this side of the world & they are always curious to know what our day-to-day life looks like. Even relatives have said to me, "Now, what exactly do you do?" As I've tried to answer this question in the usual 30 second span that people are actually tuned in & listening to me, I've realized that it is no easy answer.

My life as a mom & a missionary is a big mess most of the time. It's definitely rewarding on both ends (that's an obvious) but there are a whole lot of demands & stresses that just make it messy sometimes. So if you've got some time & would like to hear about my messy life, feel free to read along. I'm sure it'll just be a jumbled mess of words that I'll look back at & say, "What on earth was I even talking about?" But I'll give it a try nonetheless.

So I'm a full time mom, a full time wife, a full time cook & a full time missionary. Messy, huh? Like most moms in the States, the demands of being a mom are time consuming in itself ... trying to take care of kids, husband & home is a full time job. Am I right? Well add to that the demands of being a full time missionary & it sometimes gets kind of complicated. I'm not exactly a "stay at home" mom & I'm not exactly a "working" mom; and I'm not exactly a "work at home" mom. I'm a "work at home & out of the home & stay at home" mom, in a sense.

As a mom of an almost 3 year old & a 1 year old, my days are filled with playing, reading, trying to begin Isabelle on some preK material, teaching Luke how to walk, changing diapers, playing some more, reading some more, changing more diapers, feeding the kids, giving baths, kissing "owwies" ... well, you get the drift. Full time mom = full time fun!

And then I also have the privilege of being the personal chef to my family! Living in a third world country, we are not always privy to "convenience items" from Wal-Mart or even drive thru restaurants, so I also spend a good chunk of time in the kitchen preparing meals for my family ... & menu planning & grocery shopping.

As a missionary with the IMB, I am, in a way, paid by every Southern Baptist church in North America & am therefore accountable to A LOT of people! I have goals & action plans that I have to meet every month & I have to turn in an accountability report each month, too. Unfortunately "changing diapers" is not one of my goals or else I'd be way ahead of the game! So what exactly do I do in all of my spare time to complete my goals as a missionary?

Well I tell people about Jesus. How's that for an obvious answer? But being a missionary has a whole lot more to it than that though. I also am in charge of communication to our prayer partners which takes the form of writing newsletters, updates & managing our team blog. I am also in charge of handling logistics for all our incoming volunteer teams ... budget, schedule, housing, food, transportation, etc, etc. Multiply that times 10 (or more) teams a year plus long term volunteers & it equals some lengthy to do lists. I am also in charge of writing, requesting & recruiting even more volunteer teams to join our team. Can you tell we LOVE volunteers?

And that's just inside the home. Outside the home, I visit a group of women on a weekly basis & try my best to communicate to them the Gospel in a language I am not proficient at ... with one eye on them & one eye on a busy toddler. (Praise the Lord for a husband that stays home with the youngest of the brood so that my thoughts may be a little more coherent during that time). It is also my goal to visit our female believer in Ayorou once a month to continue discipling her.

So my goals & my job are somewhat involved but are simple: communication to prayer partners; coordinate volunteer teams; evangelize & disciple Songhai women; and be a mom & wife! I love that I can sometime mix business with pleasure like when I take Isabelle to work with me when I visit women. But when it comes to being a work-at-home mom & trying to answer 50 emails & work on budgets or spreadsheets with a baby & toddler in the house ... well, it just doesn't happen easily.

And I do NOT take my job as a mom to these 2 beautiful children lightly. I will NEVER EVER sacrifice my family for my job. EVER. They are my greatest ministry. And while most days are stressful & I find myself clicking away at emails long after my kids are in bed or trying to focus on reading a book with Isabelle and not be thinking about my ginormous to-do list, it's my life. It's messy & I'm not perfect at any part of it. I fail constantly as a wife, as a mom & as a missionary.

It's a complicated jumbled mess & I am always trying to find a good balance. I don't know if I ever will but I am learning more & more to not sweat it (not literally because I am literally constantly sweating profusely in this 115 degree weather!). I am learning to prioritize my time with the Lord in the mornings, my time with my husband at night, my time with my kids during the day, & the rest will just fit in there somehow. And if it doesn't? Well, I'm not gonna sweat it!

So that, in a very lengthy post, is the gist of my life as missionary mom. I wish I could fully explain all the complexities of it & how my days NEVER look the same but there's just no way! I guess you'll just have to come & visit to find out!

messy eater ... luke style

Y'all may remember a post a whilst back about a certain little girl who was quite the messy eater in her young days. Well her brother is following nicely in her footsteps! It always makes for a lovely challenge of cleaning up afterward but it's also so fun to watch him eat ... & make a mess!

This boy loves rice! Isn't it just so awesome how sticky it can be? Maybe I take back the words "lovely" & "fun" about all of this!

 

Look at those cute little chubby hands with rice stuck to each & every finger! (PS - Still am not jiving with Blogger not turning my pics right side up!)

 

Not even sure what this mess was he was eating but I'll tell you something ... a bath was not far behind it!

seeing the sights

To complete GB & Bebe's trip to Niger in February, Isabelle thought it only appropriate to introduce them to the amazing sights of Niger. There were so many to choose from (sarcasm implied) so we narrowed it down to the zoo & the giraffes. Oh wait! That's ALL there is to do around here! Oh well, good thing we don't ever get bored by it!

Izzy refused to get in the picture of GB & Bebe with the lions but I still managed to sneak her in the shot. Sneaky Mommy! 

Poor little lions with only 20 feet to roam around in. I'm pretty sure this is a far cry from their natural habitat.

Check out the baby hippo! Usually the hippos are so far under the water in their little ponds that all we can see is an ear or snout but they were all out prancing around this day.

Not sure why blogger won't turn my picture right side up! Anywho, the Belle stopped just long enough to take a picture in front of the baboon!

My parents first time to see the giraffes. I think this was Izzy's 12th but I've really lost count!

Our guide took us right to them & into the middle of about 8 or so giraffes grazing all around us. This was a mama & her baby.

Can you see the giraffes just chilling behind our heads? Obviously they were not too upset by us busting up on their grazing lands in our 4x4 truck! They just sat down & chilled out while we snapped away with our pictures.

Again with the sideways craziness! So this is a termite hill ... which totally grosses me out & the reason I stayed IN the truck to snap this picture!

So for all of you out there who have yet to come see us in Niger, just know that when you do come, Isabelle & I will be more than happy to be your tour guides to all the fabulous sights that Niger has to offer!

down by the river

One of the "perks" to living in the city is having access to a small concession (as they are called here ... small lots of land right alongside the banks of the river). We like to go out there on our non-busy days (ha!) and just get away from the city for a bit, grill out & spend time as a family. We also have liked being able to take volunteers & our family out here, too. 

That's our grill right there, folks! Fancy, eh? And beside it is a wood fire oven ... delightful for making pizzas!

Startin 'em young! As long as he's got 2 teeth, he can handle a grilled sausage, right?

Izzy partaking of the tea from Yacouba (owner of the mango garden on the property). Can you see that their "cup" is a sawed-off soda bottle? Classic! And, don't worry, she really didn't drink more than a sip & received no "buggies" from this little adventure!

izzy & her bebe

Isabelle loves her grandparents ... and that is the truth if I've ever told it! You would not ever know that she only has seen them on her turf 2 or 3 times since she's been born. She immediately bonds with them everytime she sees them & then each grandparent seems to have "one" thing that is just for them & Izzy. For Gaga, it was playing outside & reading books in a suitcase. For Papa, it's playing music & telling stories. For GB, it's bouncing on beds & snuggling up with a story before bed. And for Bebe, it's eating snacks & watching movies! 

Isabelle loved having "special treat nights" with GB & Bebe & watching movies (or "moo-mees," as she likes to say). Sometimes if the Belle was a little too wound up during Luke's nap, we'd let her have an extra treat of watching an episode of Barney or Clifford during the morning. Of course, she always made sure she had Bebe right there beside her!

Popcorn? Check! 

Toy Story 3? Check! 

Lights off? Check! 

Bebe? Bebe? Oh there you are! Check! 

Good to go!

Awww ... isn't that just cute?

Snuggling up for a little morning TV!

Izzy just loves her Bebe. She's such an affectionate little girl!

Must've been a little toasty that day for Izzy to be stripped down!

Like I said, Isabelle loves her grandparents & Bebe is no exception! And you see how she gets spoiled with all the TV & snacks & popcorn when grandparents are here? I guess we're a little extra "lose" with our rules when the g-rents come for a visit ... but we only have to "detox" our kids twice a year! But it's worth it, oh so worth it when our children love our parents this much!