Wordless Wednesday - Sahel's Elementary Swim Program

(...better late than never???!!!)

The View

After we moved out of our house, we moved into a 4 bedroom apartment on the SIL Compound. The apartment was on the 2nd floor, and we absolutely loved the view of the river.

Absolutely beautiful, isn't it?

Lord willing, we hope this apartment will still be available for a long term lease when we return to Niger our next term. We'd love to be living here on a more permanent basis! Would you start praying with us now about this possiblity?

Don't Blink...

...or else ... they get all grown up...

Mary Michelle has spent most of her sleeping time in this neat little trick - a friend gave it to me, and I've loved it! It was perfect for our crowded bedroom and was also easily accessible to Rebekah, Nadia and Anna if I asked them to lay the little peanut down... or to go get her. I was hoping it would last as her bed through our transition back to the States.

We didn't make it.

About 2 weeks before we left, I felt it was time to change. Not only was she pushing the size/weight limit, but every time she rolled, it woke her up because she'd bang into the size and she was strong enough that I worried she'd crawl right out and land on the tile floor while I was out hanging laundry or something.

For the last two weeks, she slept on a mattress wedged in between our bed and the floor. She's a cuddler and will often sleep part of the night with us, but when she gets too hot (and that happens often in Niger), we both prefer having our own space. It was a good thing that we had that mattress there, too. One morning I woke up and found her sleeping on the mattress when I knew I'd pulled her up to nurse her earlier in the morning. She must have rolled off the bed (she was rolling all over and everywhere at that time). If she cried about it - neither of us ever woke up.

She must not have been too traumatized - as she slept sweetly for another couple of hours that morning!

Lazy Morning Loving on Lizard Eggs

Just love this photo - and it is very typical of most of our mornings in Niger this past year, after the biggers left for school and while Rebekah/Richelle were working inside the house and all about, the three littles would sit outside and play peacefully. If I wasn't careful, Tim would find them still in their jammies when he came home for lunch ! Now, I'm wondering what our new routine will be this year...

And the winner is...

... well, more accurately ~ was.... Victoria's poll has been finished for several months. I just haven't had time to come up with a post announcing the results. Today is the day!

Tori's poll has been our most popular yet, as 70 different people voted. And the favorite sweet treat... according to those who voted... is...

#1 Ice Cream (34%)

#2 Chocolate Chip Cookies (25%)

#3 Oreo Cookies (12%)

Anyone surprised? She's not. She keeps telling me, "I told you so, Mama!"

A Favorite Foto ... & A Fantastically Fabulous Fact

While in Niger, our family likes to head just outside of town, a little north and west of the city, to picnic on the plateau. For years, I've been wanting to snap a photo of this particular tree - and I finally did. So here it is, my favorite tree in Niger, that I know of. =D

Looking at this photo also makes me think of the following passage of Scripture... words that I first memorized many years ago... words that I try to live by and teach to our children...

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Ps 1:1-4

Immatures... or Miniatures.... depends on if you're Jonathan or Brendan!

**There's music with this slide show, so be sure to scroll down and mute the music in our playlist first!**

Wordless Wednesday - "Four Munch-ka-teers"

Jonathan's Birthday... Part 4

Jonathan's Birthday... Part 3: ALL THOSE GIFTS!

Jonathan's Birthday... Part 2: "Dolphin, Dolphin... SHARK!"

After "Pin the Fin on the Shark," Tim took the kids down to the playground for a rousing game of "Dolphin, Dolphin.... (etc.) ... SHARK!" (or think "Duck, duck... goose!) while Safana and I got the food ready and on the table.

Jonathan's Birthday... Part I

Success is Sweet!

Just wanted to let everyone know that Nadia passed her exams. Yippee! I don't think we ever doubted that she would ~ what surprised us was that she has earned the highest score, so far, of any of our crew - and she took the exam a year earlier!

C'est super, n'est-ce pas?

Wordless Wednesday - She LIKES TRUCKS!

What's UP?

We are... or will be soon. We leave late tonight to head for the airport to catch our flight which takes off in the wee hours of Wednesday morning... heading for Michigan. We've been smiling lately - the high temps in MI aren't even touching our low temps here, and it has actually been on the "pleasant-er" side of things the past few days as far as the local heat index.

But we wanted to ask y'all to pray for us as we travel. It is a very long day, three flights and JFK isn't always the easiest or friendliest airport for families with munchkins and we qualify as one of those.

Here's our flight schedule:

• We leave at 2:45 a.m. from NIAMEY flying to CASABLANCA.
• Our next flight leaves CASA at 10:45 a.m. and arrives in JFK, NEW YORK at 2:45 in the afternoon, local time.
• Our almost final leg of the trip will hopefully depart JFK at 7:00 p.m. and arrive in Detroit at 9:33 p.m....
• ...at which point we hope in the vans, buckle half the kids into carseats and head for Lansing. Maybe we'll stop and get a Frosty on the way!

Seriously, though - please pray for us as we travel... we always ask folks to pray for uneventful travel... that's the best kind. Thanks in advance!

WATCH OUT!!! Danger in the Water...

Jonathan's birthday is in December... December 17th, to be exact. It is a day that will live in infamy I will never forget because ~ ~ ~ he decided to arrive on our 10th anniversary. This year, we celebrated birthday #5 at age 4 1/2... he very convincingly convinced me that one of his BIG birthday parties where he invites all his friends (our kids only have big more than family parties at the ages of 1, 5, 10 and 16) should happen in Niger instead of back in the States since all of the friends he wanted to invite live here.

When it is already 105 or hotter, the heat from all those candles is unbearable!

He would have convinced you, too... just look at that sweet face! =D

I've got tons more photos from his party, but those will have to wait until I'm back in Michigan to post. This post was just a little "pat on the back" to myself, because I was so pleased with how his cake turned out.