Andy

Last week we said goodbye to our dear friend, Andy. Amazingly, we didn't even know him two months ago. We met him at the airport on our way back to Mali. Poor guy flew with us across the Atlantic. I'm thankful he didn't run after that. He was so helpful and it was awesome to have another hand during travel. All month, though, when Kenan was tired or not feeling well, he would look at Andy and say, "I'm mad at you because you were mean to me on the plane!" I never knew what he meant but the last night Andy was here Kenan finally told us that it was because Andy took his blanket while he was sleeping. Really, the blanket just kept falling off as he moved in his seat, but he blamed Andy for it and didn't let him forget it. However, except for those moments of complaining about the plane, Kenan loved Andy. Each night, if not during the day as well, he would crawl up in Andy's lap and sit for long periods. All the boys loved Andy. Dawson said the last night that "his nose was running because he was sad Andy was leaving."

Andy was willing to do whatever. Many visitors come and SAY they are willing to help however, but really they have their own agenda/desires of what to do/accomplish. He was up for anything, even if that meant drawing lines in a notebook for an afternoon to make a clinic register (and it was decided once he had done all the lines, that it would just be easier to use the computer!). He offered to come over early one Saturday morning so we could sleep in. He watched the kids that whole day (and said at the end that going to the hospital was easier!) :) He was just so great. He was humble, recognized that he was in a different culture and respected what that meant, and was just all around great.

He was also a cook. A single 20 year old guy. We made fried okra, brownies, butter pecan ice cream, key lime pie, and banana cream pie. We also made the graham crackers from scratch. It amazed me what he knew about food. Frankly, it amazed me what he knew about everything. I don't know that there was a subject that he didn't know about. Countries, history, animals, insects, plastic surgery, the list goes on. I did love, though, when I asked one night why he knew all these kinds of plastic surgery. His response was "Doctor 90210." Ha! The boy was amazingly smart and again incredibly humble. I often forgot I was talking to a 20 year old college student, esp since he was teaching me all month! :)

Andy was truly fantastic. I think our family would have been perfectly content had he just thrown away his ticket to return home and stayed with us permanently. We all miss him and look forward to his return!

More pictures from the summer

Here are some more pictures from our time in the States that I wanted to post, even though they are out of order.

Family at the lake

Dawson and Zachary

Holden Beach

Brotherly love

More love

Even more love

These two were a pair.

My blondie. The last month his hair has started to darken. Kind of sad I won't have a blonde child anymore. I liked having one of each color. :)

This is how Silas sat for most of the pictures when we tried to get a shot.

July 4th

how they watched our home fireworks put on by Uncle Patrick

All eating corn, a favorite while in the States. And I must say that this was some of the best corn ever.

and one that doesn't belong but as I took the picture of Silas eating corn, it reminded me of this photo of D at the same age. Similar but Dawson definitely had a lot more chunk than Silas.

Little Brett

While we were home in the States, Jeremie's wife had a baby boy. His name is Brett. :) He is a cutie. We are so glad all went well with the delivery and that they now have a healthy baby!

Two steps forward, one step back

Dawson lost another tooth. He already has two new (crooked) teeth coming in. He really is getting bigger everyday.

The other day I came home from work and he and Kenan were sitting in kid sized camping chairs talking. I asked them what they were talking about and they told me that they were telling each other their dreams from the night prior. It was just humorous to see as they looked like two old men sitting on the porch talking about life.

This guy, however, wasn't quite as big as we thought.

After a long week of trying the bed, he moved back to his own room and into a pack-n-play. I decided we were having a battle of the will and thus needed to show that I was the adult. So one day at nap I put him in the crib. He screamed. And screamed. And screamed. He threw up, I went in, took off the sheets and left him in the crib. He cried some more. Threw up again. Went in and took out the mattress (so I could clean it before bedtime) and left him on the wooden board of the crib and a towel. He continued to cry and threw up once again. He FINALLY after an hour and 15 minutes fell asleep, even though it was only for 45 minutes. That seemed to break him, though. That night I pulled out both our pack-n-plays and had the crib ready as well as three sets of pjs. I let him choose his crib of choice which was a pack-n-play. He went right to sleep (I assume because he hadn't napped and had been up for several hours the night prior). We haven't had an issue since. Praise the Lord! So who knows when he'll make it into a bed. I'm guessing we will have to do it next hot season so he can have some A/C at night. We shall see.

8th Wedding Anniversary

July 27, 2010.

8 years of marriage.

I had to chuckle yesterday at the difference 8 years makes. Gone are the days of walking around Charleston, stopping to get coffee and a movie. Gone are the carefree days. Now it's kiddos and work and Mali. I sat yesterday listening to Silas scream for over an hour instead of sleeping (and deal with throw up three times. no he's not sick, just stubborn). No big outing for the anniversary. Only a show of Office, dessert and then sleep. But I loved it. It was good.

I love you, Brett, with my whole heart. I thank God for you and the blessing to walk through life with you!

They are growing up

The boys seem to be growing before my eyes.

Silas is now sleeping in a big boy bed. I have no baby in a crib now. 5 1/2 years of a baby in a crib and at one point two kids in cribs. Now it's over. We weren't totally planning on moving him but Silas showed his will and stamina the past few days. While in the States, someone was often, if not always, in the room with the boys when they went to bed. So he now wants someone always around. The first two nights in Mali, we put him in the crib and he cried. And cried. And cried. After 45 minutes or so, I went into the room and he showed me that he had thrown up. I had to take him out of the crib to clean it, thus he thought he won. He then showed me his foot. While crying, he apparently rubbed his foot on the crib (pack-n-play so the mesh sides) so much that it made a blister on his foot which then popped. Ridiculous. Next night, same deal. More throw up. Nap time too. If I let him cry it out, he throws up. So the third night here we tried the bed. He was cute about it. When we tried to put on his clothes or brush his teeth, he would run and jump on the bed so that he made sure we weren't going to take him away. He stilled cried but when we would enter to the room, he would run and jump back on the bed because he didn't want to be taken out of the room. This kid can survive on less sleep than his brothers (and us). He's not falling asleep until 9 or so and then waking around 5:30. But I seem to be going off subject. Regardless of the poor sleeping or not, he's sleeping in a BIG boy bed now!

And today, July 23rd, Dawson lost his first tooth! It's been lose for over a month. The last few days it's been hanging on by a thread. I've been asking him to let me pull it but he wouldn't let me. I just told him to wiggle it and wiggle it. This morning he was doing that and then came and handed me the tooth.

I asked him what he wanted from the tooth fairy. He chose a piece of gum. So it is under his pillow now. He was funny, though, prior to going to bed. He knew the tooth fairy was supposed to take his tooth. He started to cry because he was sad and said he would miss his tooth. I told him I could ask the tooth fairy if she could make an exception and let him keep his tooth. The conversation kind of went like this...

D: (crying) I don't want to lose my tooth. I'll miss it.

me: Maybe the tooth fairy can make an exception. I'll ask her.

D: Do you know her? (with great surprise)

me: yes (and I mean, I do, it's me)

D: have you seen her?

me: no, we just talk on the phone

D:how did you get her number?

me: they gave it to me when you were born.

So I went and "called" her and he was thrilled. (Now for those who fill like having a make believe person is wrong, sorry. We don't even do Santa really. But for some reason, the tooth fairy is one we will go with. )

He later asked me, as I was putting him in bed under the mosquito net, how the tooth fairy stayed safe from mosquitoes if she was up in the night. We decided she wears a net around her like a cape. :)

**** little update this morning.

Dawson loved his gum and that the tooth was still there. So cute to watch him and explain to Kenan that if he didn't want to give up his teeth to get his gum that she would let him keep it. Then he looks up at me to see if I think she'll be ok with it.

And maybe Silas isn't so big. He was up from 11:30 until 2 with me. I finally gave him to Brett. Decided when I thought putting blankets over his head might be a good idea that I should probably pass the buck to someone else. :) So something will change tonight.

Pride goes before a fall

Yesterday I was listening to the boys talk as they were playing.

Kenan says, "God made us."

I interrupted their conversation to say that yes he was right. I couldn't help but feel proud that he was learning truths about God and was speaking of it. Proud of him, for sure, but I'll be honest, proud of me for teaching him that. But pride does go before the fall.

He then proceeded to tell Dawson, "Why did God make You?"

So much for that good parenting... :)

Dawson, however, is fully confident in himself and worth here. Today we were looking at our praying mantise that we caught and I mentioned that he looked like he was praying. I asked Dawson what he thought he was praying for. "I think he wants to be like us. I think he's praying for that."