Easter Bonnets ... in August?

Ok, so they aren't wearing "bonnets" - but I made a promise way back around Easter time to send pictures of the gang in their Easter outfits. I don't normally tend to dress the kids in matching or coordinating outfits, but do indulge on two occasions:

1. When we are traveling through airports (it makes it so much easier to find everyone quickly and identifies us as a group); and
2. Easter (It is easy, amazingly cheap, and fun to find brightly colored cloth in the market, then take it to the tailor and have it made into a bunch of matching and cute outfits.)

So.... Here are this year's Easter dresses, and shirts for the boys. It only took me 4 months to stop, plan and coordinate these photos. And it is a good thing I did it now - Rebekah and Anna have already outgrown their dresses!

Nadia ... she's still in that "I have to have a goofy smile if I'm forced to smile" stage... She is looking forward to the beginning of the school year, as she has missed her best friend Zeina over the summer. She has quite courageously stepped out and asked to play softball with the big kids at Sahel Academy. She's not the least bit afraid of the ball in the outfield and has actually had a couple of decent hits!"

Victoria ... who is now back to full health and eating like a horse to proove it. She's our little adventurer, who didn't want to stop swinging to pose for a picture. She has also informed us that she is going to play the saxophone when she grows up!

Jonathan ... He's just too cute for words right now. One of my friends made the comment that perhaps we mothers find our little boys so irresistable because we see such wonderful glimpses of our husbands in them.

Rebekah ... who is growing up daily, right in front of our eyes. She's cooking meals for us, organizing the rest of the gang to clean the house, wanting to hang out with Mama and the ladies, starting to sew, and quite a competent "little mama" for Elsie. Elsie ... too, is growing like a weed and learning new things each day. She has now taken her first two steps and then fell, so has decided for the moment that she prefers crawling. She's often the most difficult to find after church - no telling which friend has kidnapped her!

Anna ... my sweet and lovely homebody. It has been fun to watch her blossom this year, thanks to a wonderful teacher at Ecole Alliance who was able to encourage both confidence and independance. We also think she's going to surpass her two older sisters in height in the not too distant future. I'm looking forward to taking her out for breakfast this Saturday - she doesn't always insist on being heard, so I'm looking forward to some time with just her, to hear more of what is going on in that mind of hers.

Brendan ... Are we ready for our soon-to-be teenager? They grow up so fast. I'm proud of the young man he is becoming and I love his patience and wonderful attitude with his younger siblings as well as the younger children in the neighborhood and our missionary community. We are starting to see the makings of a wonderful and attentive daddy.... someday.... in the VERY distant future!