The New Adventures of HEIDI

The Birth of Katherine Elizabeth

2011-11-24T11:00:00.003+01:00

I awoke at 4am experiencing contractions every 15-20 minutes. Just often enough to not be able to really get back to sleep. I tried though, and told myself this might not be the real thing. For the last week and a half, contractions started and stopped, leaving me unsure about knowing when labor was really there. But something told me this might be it. After eating breakfast I found a ride out to the hospital to see my DR for the regular weekly checkup. We were staying at a guesthouse about 10 minutes from the hospital. The DR does rounds in the mornings and then begins seeing patients who are waiting outside his office. I arrived at the hospital around 8:30AM so I went over to see if the dentist had any openings. (The dentist is my DR's wife, and she had just repaired my root canal that had been chipping away. And now I had lost part of another filling in a different tooth.) She said she did not have any immediate openings, but would call me if she had a cancelation. So I went back to the DR's and waited for him. He showed up at 10AM and saw me right away. I was 3 1/2 cm and he said he could stretch it to 4cm. He predicted things would be happening today. I wanted to go back to the guesthouse right away, but I didn't have a ride. The person I came with would be there till 11AM. I decided to wait for her instead of calling a taxi. I walked across the street and bought a drink and some bananas from a vendor. I experienced a few harder contractions after my visit with the DR. On the way home we stopped at the towns biggest 'grocery' store. It is basically the size of a a gas station snack shop. So I bought a few things we needed for the next couple days. Then we went home and I had lunch with the family. They all went swimming after lunch, I thought about joining them, but thought I should try and rest. My contractions were still 20 or so minutes apart, but when they came they were strong. I laid down and read a bit, and sometime between 1-2pm my water broke. It was then I was convinced that this was really happening. The kids and Jeff had blown up my birthing pool for me to labor in and Jeff was in the process of filling it up. We were on the second floor of the guesthouse, so we were a little concerned about it getting too heavy for the floor. We only filled it halfway. I got in when my contractions were closer to five minutes apart and it really relieved the pressure I felt in my back. My contraction coping techniques were to be on my knees and lean over something, to take slow deep breaths in and out, and when they were more intense, to breath out with horse lips. I read about this in a book and it really seemed to help me. Jeff also poured water on my back. At around 3:30 we started timing contractions. For the next hour they averaged 3 minutes apart. I said we really needed to head to the hospital. We did not have our own car, but Jeff had talked to some people about borrowing one. He really didn't want to leave me to go take care of packing a car. He asked Drew to go get the keys for us. By the time Drew brought the keys back it was about 4:45 and the contractions were really intense. It became clear to both of us that we were not going anywhere at this point.

Side note: We had really wanted a home birth for this delivery, but we were not able to find a DR or midwife who would come and do that with us. I had no intention of delivering without a medical person in the room. Our plan had been to labor for as long as possible in the comfort of the guesthouse, and then head to the hospital. You have to understand the hospital here. The hospital in this town is run by western missionaries and it is the best one by far. But it is still a hospital in Mali. Their delivery room has three delivery beds in it. There are small cloth dividers that separate you from the next woman. Men are never, ever a part of the delivery process here. If Jeff was in that room with me and other women were also having their babies, it would make them very uncomfortable. So we wanted to stay in a place where we could be together comfortably for as long as possible.

Jeff was helping me stay focused and reminding me to breath and relax through my contractions. This is the point where they became so intense that I wanted to quit. I told Jeff when he told me to relax that he had no idea what I was going through, and I think I even told him to shut up once. (Sorry Jeff...) He was doing a great job of helping me... Then I had a contraction that felt different. Oh it was powerful and I felt pressure in my bottom. (Is this really happening here and now I wondered?) As I tried to keep breathing and coping with these monster contractions I felt intense burning. Then with a third and final forceful contraction my body flung itself over and I sat down as my baby was pushed down and out of my body. I didn't know she was coming out until she was out in the water. Jeff quickly scooped her up and handed her to me saying, 'and it's a girl!' And then I sat there in shock. 5:05 pm and our little girl was laying in my arms. We called the DR right away to see what we should do, and he was in surgery. (So even if we had made it to the hospital, he wouldn't have been there for her birth.) We talked to our moms, and we invited the kids in to meet their new sister. Drew was excited to post something to my facebook page about having a new sister.

There was a Swiss nurse, Marlene, who was staying at the guesthouse. She arrived home from the hospital at 5:45pm and came up to see us. It was good to have her there to check me. Jeff clamped and cut the cord. He and Harley dried Katherine off and dressed her. I climbed out of the pool and delivered the placenta. Marlene helped Jeff clean up while I rested. And just like that we were done. Katherine Elizabeth had safely arrived into this world, and was now a part of our family.

I had really struggled with this birth in the months leading up to it. And I want to thank God for really giving me peace when the time came. There are many things in the life that are hard, and that is not bad. But it can be scary to wait for something hard that you know is going to happen. I know many people were praying for me to have peace and strength when the time came, and He blessed me with both of those. Praise God!

Driving in Mali...

2011-11-05T15:02:00.004+01:00

It has been some time since I have driven in Mali, West Africa. Our generous friends have allowed us to use their car while we are here at the guesthouse and due to the horrid conditions of the local taxis, I decided to take them up on it. (5 out of 6 times I have taken a local taxi, it broke down or ran out of gas.) This day I was just taking the two older boys to the dentist, but everyone wanted to climb in while I pulled out of the driveway. Driving is quite a rarity in our lives. Once on the road I realized my mistake. It wan't market day, so I had taken the shortest route to the hospital. (This road is closed down completely on market day.) But it is a holiday today. Tabaski. There were so many people, motos, bicycles, push carts, donkey carts, vendors, and animals, not to mention other cars headed my way on what was now a one lane road, that I would have turned around had that been at all an option. We continued through very slowly, and finally made it though the chaos. Driving here is CRAZY!!!

Fear

2011-11-03T08:20:00.002+01:00

A couple nights ago I was sure I was in the early stages of labor. And instead of being excited, I was terrified and feeling panic. This was not part of my labor plan. But I couldn't make the nervous feelings go away. Finally I got some rest and my contractions went away by 3AM. But I realized that I need to get get myself together, and rely more strongly on the ONE who will get me through this. I KNOW labor will be hard work. I don't want God to take that away. But I want to face it with peace, and grace and the knowledge that He will not leave me and He can give me the strength to get though it. So please pray that with me and for me in the next few weeks...

One of these is not like the other ones...

2011-10-11T14:12:00.001+02:00

I have to admit when Jeff said he would like to put our kids in a local school I rebelled. They'll never fit in I thought. The other kids will never get used to them. They'll be teased, harassed and end up hating it. But as time went on I realized that God can use situations like these, and I really have no idea what is going to happen. My hope is that are kids will make some good friends, and that they will learn Bambara, the local language. So far they have gone to school for one week. (Mornings only) And they did fine. Joe says the kids touch his head a lot, and he doesn't know anyone's name yet. But it was only the first week. I'll keep you posted and put up more photos of the other kids soon...

School Time

2011-09-09T15:50:00.004+02:00

School has started. Joe and Harley are going to start reading this year. We are doing the Sing, Spell, Read and Write curriculum. I needed something that was self contained and self explanitory so that when we move around this fall waiting for baby to come, we can easily take it on the move and Jeff could easily step in and teach them. So far so good... we are off to a good start!

Having a baby...

2011-08-08T00:47:00.004+02:00

I'll be honest... the few hours of labor terrify me. I think it's the unknown that is the hardest to deal with. When labor starts, and then gets increasingly painful, you really don't know how much longer you'll have to 'do this'. Of course there is comfort in the fact that it WILL end. It never lasts forever. :)

So this will be my sixth delivery. I'll give a brief rundown of the kinds of deliveries I've had, and what I'm hoping for this time...

Drew: 16 hour labor, all natural, 2.5 hours of pushing, shot of Demerol near the end (Two days after due date)

Joe: Water broke, hospital induced labor with pitocin, stadol through IV, 16 hours (Two weeks early)

Harley: Water broke, hard contractions, quick delivery, 2.5 hours (Two weeks early)

Zach: 20 hour labor, slow start, picked up throughout the day, epidural for last two hours (On due date)

Jethro: 6 hour labor, fast and hard contractions, epidural last two hours (Two weeks overdue)

So I've had lots of different experiences. As an epidural is not an option for me for this next delivery, I am reading up on natural childbirth and how people deal, cope or even enjoy it. It seems like some women view this as a rite of passage into motherhood and feel very empowered by their experience in childbirth. I would have to say with Harley's birth, I did feel very strong and unstoppable. (Look what I just did?) So I am hoping as I practice my breathing and visualization techniques, that I will be able to stay focused, hold myself together, and even enjoy the birthing process this time. I know if you can stay relaxed, your body is more able to do what it needs to, and it is a good method to trust your body. I must not let panic creep in because that does no good for me or my baby. I really am looking forward to meeting this new child.

I recently got the book, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, and the DVD 'The Business of Being Born.' I would highly recommend both to any woman, but especially to those who may have another child. There are so many wonderful things our medical world can do for us as laboring women. But also so much that is unnecessary to the process of something our bodies are made to do. Even after having five children, there was much I learned from reading this book.

I have also read the book Hypnobirthing and it has some great breathing and visualization techniques in it that I am hoping to use.

A Day in my Life...

2011-06-19T23:13:00.003+02:00

Monday dawned humid and hot. When will we get relief from a rainstorm I wondered . The plan for Mondays is for me to spend a couple hours in the morning at our neighborhood medical clinic. I'm trying to get to know the women and learn some Bambara. Getting out the door is always a challange. After starting some laundry, greeting a few visitors, buying some mangos from a merchant girl, and preping my house help for the morning... I was off. My bike is the perfect transport to whip around our neighborhood. It keeps me active and my feet out of the sewer filled street. When I arrive at the clinic there is a long line of brightly clad women and babies, waiting for their turn to get their free baby vacinations. They greet me warmly and chatter happily amoungst themselves. After many clients have filed through I ask about one in particular who has not moved, nor has she recieved any shots for her baby. Oh her baby is tounge tied the nurse responds to me. I asked the woman how old her baby was. She said, "One week old.... No, ten days." she corrected herself. A few minutes later the nurse came out with scissors in hand. (You are not really going to clip her toungue right here on this porch are you I wonder?) Sure enough... she smacks the babies foot to make her cry, holds her toungue up with her fingers, and clips with the scissors. The baby fusses for a mintue and her mother offers her the comfort of her breast. All is well... the scissors go back to the delivery room for cutting the cord of the next newborn. (After being sterilized of course!) All in a days work!

Who knows why God has opened so many doors for me to work at the clinic. The midwives are more than willing to let me jump in and deliver a baby, even though I am not trained. As I continue to learn about labor and delivery, I like to encourage and pray for the women and children. I have now attended eight births. One of the needs for this clinic is hemostats and scissors. They only have two pairs of each, not enough to get them sterylized between deliveries if they are back to back. If you could help meet that need, this little clinic would sure appreciate it. I also give a newborn baby outfit to each new baby when I attend a birth. If you want to donate used newborn clothes, that would also be well received.

Lovin' my boy

2011-06-12T23:43:00.004+02:00

Normally he wakes up when we go in the room... but he was out cold today... he is teething and not feeling well...

What a sweetheart...

He needed lots of extra snuggles today... mama loves those kinds of days...

Update...

2011-05-18T12:06:00.003+02:00

A lot has been happening in our lives. But I have not taken many photos lately. Hopefully I can pick it up again.

I bought an injured bird from some neighborhood kids in hope of nursing it back to health. It lived for 3 days. We were not quite ready to take on a new pet, but I just couldn't let the kids keep dragging it around town till it died, so I wanted to save it.

Jethro turned one! He is a happy, adventurous boy. He loves to be outside. Here he is on our well, one of the places he like to play.

I really do love having a baby around... I'm glad there is another one on the way.

Zach is still into everything, even as a three year old. He loves to help anyone with a project and he loves to go anywhere anyone might be going. He really is a big help... you just have to keep him busy so he doesn't get himself into trouble...

Mango anyone?

2011-04-27T23:48:00.005+02:00

So a couple days ago we had another rain storm... this is unusual for April. Usually this is the middle of hot, dry season. Well Jeff did a video about it that you can watch at our family blog. But my job was and is... what to do with all the mangos that our tree dropped in one day. Hundreds of mangos... I will give some away, let some ripen, and cut up and freeze a lot to use in cooking. Stop by for some mango sauce, mango cake or mango crisp if you can!

Ups and Downs

2011-04-22T12:58:00.002+02:00

OK... it's not that bad... But we have hit a wall. It is the four month wall I think... and it happened to coincide with hot season. Jeff and I have both been feeling stuck and unproductive in the last few weeks. I know it will get better.

A few frustrating things...

- It's hard to learn a new language in the midst of life...

- There is no where to 'get away' (Like the mall, coffee shop, grocery store, dollar store... )

- It is HOT - kids have heat rash

- There are no pools in our town

- We don't have friends or family to really talk to

- Whenever the kids want a snack... I have to cook something (crackers, cookies, bagels)

- Bugs and dirt

A few good things...

- Our kids are awesome

- Fans... and air conditioning when we want to splurge for an hour

- Mangos!!! lots of them (the one snack that is ready and waiting)

- Internet to connect with family and friends

- A rain storm to chase away the heat

So yea... it's not that bad, it's just been hard, and we are trusting God that He will bring us through and soaring on the other side of this valley. We do look forward to spending Easter with our new Church family here in Kadiolo. I'm praying for a good time of fellowship, and for our young friend Kadiatu who is a muslim girl going with us to Easter. She says she wants to be a Christian, but it may be more likely that she wants to go to America. Pray for her to really understand the gospel and want to be a Christian because Christs has spoken to her!

Birth Number 2

2011-04-03T14:50:00.005+02:00

I was called to another birth on Friday. It was 4pm, not even the middle of the night. So I thought I better jump on the opportunity to go help out. When I arrived I found out this was an 18 year old girl delivering her first baby. She was outside walking around and had been found to be 8cm dilated.

She wanted to have a rest and came back inside to sit down. They checked her again and had me check her. Again I am no good at this part. I must need much more practice. Aparantly she was 9 centimeters. Shortly after this she expressed a desire to eat something so her friend went off to find some food. When it arrived she sat down to have a snack.

After that she was tired again and wanted to go in and lie down. She was told she need to walk to get her contractions going. They were coming, but not real close together. Like any first time mother, she did not want them closer together or to feel any more pain. But she was very brave.

Here sit the three midwives/nurses waiting for things to progress... When she got so tired she had to lie down, they hooked her up to an IV and gave her some pitocin to make the contractions come along faster.

Here came the difficult part of the delivery for me. As we had checked her the nurse commented on her circumcision. It is very common practice here in Mali for a girl to be circumcised in her childhood. Unfortunately for this girl, she was sewn up too small to allow for this baby to be born. As the baby began to crown the midwifes had to perform an episiotomy to allow the baby through. This makes me so sad. It is a very traumatic experience when a girl gets circumcised, and now in childbirth it becomes more traumatic again because of this. There was no anisthetic used to aid in pain relief either.

A healthy girl was born around 6:30pm. I asked them what the sex was so that the mom could hear. Then after the baby was weighed and left on the scale, I asked if I could hold her. I took her over the the mom and showed her beautiful baby to her. That part gave me great joy.

Pray for me as I plan to talk to the midwives about working on educating their patients about the negative effects of female circumcision.

A Simple Pleasure

2011-03-27T22:51:00.003+02:00

This morning some Southern Baptist Missionaries stopped by our house as they were leaving town. They come to Kadiolo to do some work for a few days about 4-6 times a year. They have a guest house in town and we help out by giving out salaries to the guard and housekeeper each month. When they stopped by they brought a box of leftover food for us that they did not want to take back to Bamako. It was such a treat! We got chocolate chip cookie mix, blueberry muffin mix, juice boxes, ranch dressing, a taco dinner kit complete with crunchy tacos, and much more. What I was most excited about was the Cheerios. It is hard to come by snacks to give the kids... especially for Jethro who can't manage some things by himself, or they are super messy like a mango. I was so excited to throw some Cheerios on his tray and let him have the joy of picking them up all on his own. He was pretty excited too! It seemed crazy to me how something so simple could bring so much pleasure!

Crash course in Birthing

2011-03-14T11:25:00.007+01:00

We are working hard to learn Bambara. And I thought maybe combining my need to learn Bambara with my desire to help women and learn some midwifery skills might be a good idea. And so the following story was 'born'.

I was called at midnight by a local midwife to find out if I wanted to assist her with a delivery. I had previously explained that I was interested in womens health and delivery. So I decided to go. When I arrived the woman was six centimeters and was laboring outside. Shortly after she was tired and went in to lay down.

When it came time to check her again the midwife handed me a glove and said, OK, go ahead. Hold on, I was not expecting that. But I guess that is the only way to learn. So sure, I checked. Knowing how much these checks hurt when you are in labor, I felt a head and that was good enough for me. She asked how many centimeters I thought she was. When I responded I had no idea, but I felt the head, she just laughed. She was 7 cm at that point.

This is a very small clinic. Aparantly women go there that do not want a hospital experience. So I was expecting more of what our culture calls a home birth or birthing center experience. It was not so. There was no one there to encourage this woman. Her husband waited outside. An other woman came, but only to clean up after her. It is the families responsibility to clean out bed pans, puke buckets and throw the placenta in the outhouse. She was told to keep her legs in one spot but no one held them for her. Finally I went and held one leg in place, so she didn't have to work so hard on that part. When the head was out the midwife pulled the baby the rest of the way out. I became VERY light headed and felt faint. (Unexpected) I think it was mostly from the roughness of it all. After that she quickly cut the cord and sucked out the babies nose. She then pulled out the placenta. There was no putting the baby on moms tummy, or waiting for nature to take it's course. I was surprised and a bit bothered by how much intervention there was. The baby was weighed and taken out to the family. I don't think the mom ever saw him or was told he was a boy.

This photo was taken after I took a seat. I really thought I might faint and I have NEVER in my life felt that close to fainting. My legs were weak and trembling and my heart was pounding. It was a very strange experience. I think it came from understanding a bit of her pain, and feeling for her that she had no one on her side so to speak. It felt very lonely and joyless. I prayed for her a lot and wondered what I could do to bring some comfort and joy to the birthing rooms in Kadiolo. Or is that even my place?

I wondered at first if this little guy was even alive, but after sucking out his nose and slapping him around a bit, he made a little sound. I think he is a healthy little boy and despite the difficulty of the experience for me, I am thankful for his little life. Praise God, the creator of LIFE!

Nous avons tué un cochon aujourd'hui!!!

2011-03-09T13:24:00.008+01:00

DISCLAIMER: An animal was killed in the making of this blog. Not for the faint of heart!

Parce que je parle en français toute la journée, j'ai pensé que je devrais écrire mon blog en français aussi.

Aujourd'hui, les enfants et Jeff sortit à la terrain de Jonas et tué un cochon.

Ils ont l'apporté à la maison dans le wagon de notre moto.

Ce projet était très intéressant pour nos enfants.

Nous avons bouillie l'eau dans la cuisine à l'échaudure le porc afin qu'ils puissent décoller les cheveux.

Drew a gardé les ongles comme les cadeaux pour nos chiens

Puis ils ont le suspendu dans notre manguier.
Puis ils lui coupé en deux et sorti son intestins.

Après cela, ils lui couper en morceaux pour moi.
Je les ai mis dans les sac pour congeler.

Apres tous ca, on a bien mange l' atcheke ensemble.

Heading out with my new moto...

2011-03-08T16:36:00.001+01:00

So it feels good to have transportation... Harley and I headed out this morning for a few groceries so we could do some baking and cooking. Today I made, granola, cookies, yogurt and sourdough starter... I'm going to take a break before I need to start on dinner...

My New Wheels...

2011-03-08T00:04:00.004+01:00

I am happy to announce that I have wheels... I can how be seen cruising around Kadiolo with a moto much like the rest of them... maybe I will blend in more than I did on Big Red... Probably not, but I like it!

He's Back

2011-03-06T16:59:00.005+01:00

What an amazing day it was yesterday... I don't have photos of most of it... but here is the rundown...
Our power came back on after a week of being off...
Jeff came home...
We got a huge thunder and lightening storm followed by a real downpour...
Our container showed up in town just before midnight...
and then this morning Drew's chickens gave their first egg!
It's been an exciting 24 hours... Jeff is outside right now putting the kids bikes together!

Jeff coming home...

Pancake breakfast...

Our first egg...

Getting ready to open our container from France...

Putting bikes back together...

Goodbye Jeff

2011-03-01T16:34:00.004+01:00

I kissed Jeff goodbye this morning as he left our house to go find his bus. He is going to Bamako to try and convince our company to release our container with our bikes from France. They really want us to come get it as the longer it sits in Bamako, the more we owe in holding fees. But they need proof of our wire transfer which is somehow caught up in France, so we have been stuck, unable to move forward or backward. So... he is going there to talk with them in person. Pray that they release it to him. And that he can find a good form of transportation to bring it down here to Kadiolo. Jeff will also be doing some shopping for us in Bamako. Things we cannot get here but are available up in Bamako...

Paint,

Cheese,

Toilet Paper,

Shampoo,

Soap,

Chocolate,

Nems,

Strawberry Jam,

Pickles,

Butter...

Oh my list is much longer, but you get the idea... hopefully he can manage this on his own. It takes one day to travel each way... and I imagine his Bamako errands will take him 4 days or so. So we are on our own for a week. So far so good. Except for the power outs. I don't know the system for getting the generator started and switched over to run the house power. So I am really hoping it just stays on! Pray for us this week!

The Baptem...

2011-02-25T18:50:00.006+01:00

Kadjatu came to pick me up for the Baptem...

Everyone loved holding Jethro until he got too tired of it!

We ate some rice and fish... Jethro thought it was great fun to eat with your hands... Kadjatu had a beautiful henna job on her hand.

Jethro got a little nap while I was there. I stayed for 4 hours... and people were still showing up to the party when I left...

Kadjatu and her friends...

Dancing is the main event... and everyone likes to enjoy it...

This is the star of the show...

The ladies who are hosting never stop working hard... even if they are dancing and visiting, they jump up to serve any newcomers...

There were lots of women and LOTS of babies!

Lots and lots of women...

These poor kids need some meat and veggies...

True Confessions...

2011-02-18T23:21:00.003+01:00

OK... I am not a princess. I can tough things out pretty well. I don't mind camping and being dirty and 'roughing' it. I'm not a big complainer and I can get by with most things. But after 48 hours of mostly no electricity... I admit that I LOVE electricity! I don't want to live without it. Just thought I would admit that out in the open... I love fans, I love lights, and I love cold refreshing drinks when it is hot. So I am thankful it is back on... (for the moment) and I am going to go to sleep tonight under a fan. (Dieu Volonté)

Making Mango Sauce

2011-02-15T17:15:00.003+01:00

Two of our gorgeous mango trees!

Drew is a fan of our mangos and he was not sure he wanted me to pick some off the trees to make mango sauce. After he tried it he decided it would be OK.

After peeling the mangos and cutting them off the seed, I boiled them in a pot.

Next I mixed in sugar and cinnamon and puréed the mangos.

We are left with a mango sauce, much like apple sauce. But it is creamier, more tart, and much more delicious! Yummy!

Transportation... a new look...

2011-02-15T12:13:00.001+01:00

Adorable Retro Dish Towels

2011-02-03T22:24:00.004+01:00

My friend Shari just blogged about some of her favorite things which included some cute dishtowels her Grandmother made for her. It reminded me of these which I found in the house we just moved to. I love them... they make me happy... I think I should learn how to make these... Does anyone else have some of these cute treasures laying around their house?

Here is a link to Shari's blog if you want to see her cute dish towels...

A Walking Scrapbook

2011-01-28T10:51:00.006+01:00

I learned something new. There is a lot of cloth available in the market. Usually I search for something with colors I like, patterns that are not too offensive or bizarre, and something I can envision in an outfit. I end up with a lot of purple, pink, blue and green. As I started asking people about their outfits they wore, they would say, 'Oh yes, this is the tissue form someone's baptism, or this is the tissue from someones goodbye party, or this is the tissue from Christmas last year.' I began to realize, this is a form of scrap booking. As the women wear their outfits, they remember people, times, experiences and memories.

So one day I was visiting with one of my friends, Kadjatu. She is 13 and loves to come visit whenever she can. She has a new cousin and took me to visit her. I was also invited to the 'Baptem' party for her cousin. She told me there was cloth and she wanted me to buy some and come dressed for the party. I decided to do it... and when the cloth arrived she brought it to me. I realized this was going to be my first REAL Malien outfit. IT is in orange and yellow, two colors I wouldn't have chosen. And there are some random designs all over it, like chalkboards and fingers... So here are some photos of the process... I knew I wanted to scrapbook while I was here, but so far this is the closest I have come.

What will I do with this fabric?

Yes... those are fingers in my fabric!

So I took it to my tailor... notice how they finish the zipper?

He made a beautiful outfit!

Everyone really likes it here... they say I am Malien now!

Movie of our Journey to Mali

2011-01-27T11:58:00.005+01:00

Jeff has tried to get a video done to show everyone how our journey to Mali has happened. He started this soon after our arrival in Mali. He met with so many obstacles. Then, when it was finally done, it would not upload... he tried for three days. Finally after it was uploaded, he worked on the email to send out letting people know about it. As it was ready to go, the power went out. It really felt like the enemy did not want this video to go out as an encouragement to believers around the world. The power came back on, and the first batch of emails sent, then the power went off again... finally we received power again and were able to send out the rest of the emails. I am putting the video up here also so more people can find it that may not receive our emails... Thanks for checking it out...

Testing new waters...

2011-01-21T14:52:00.006+01:00

The day arrived more quickly than I thought it might. Two girls showed up this morning to visit earlier than is usually normal. I sat on the porch with them for awhile before I finally realized that they came with a purpose. Their dad had visited last evening telling us his daughter had a swollen hand that was causing her a lot of pain. I gave him some Ibuprofen and said she could come see us if they wanted. Well here she was. She showed me her hand... and I wondered what to do. I tried to ask some questions, but she didn't have a lot of answers. She didn't know why it started. She didn't have any sores on her hand. So I decided first of all we should make sure her hand was clean. Then a soak in hot water never hurt. So as I was preparing all that, her father showed up. He helped translate some... and explained that the yesterday a friend had tried to open up her hand with a razor blade to relieve some pressure. Then they packed it with the leaves of some tree. I suggested going to the DR. but in the meantime I consulted my handy 'Where There is no Doctor' book. Her had was hot to the touch and definitely had an infection inside. Whatever caused it we don't know. So I told them hot compresses four times a day, keep it clean, and take her to the Doctor. I don't know if she need antibiotics or not. I dried up her hand and put on some antibiotic ointment and a bandage. I gave them more bandages and my antibiotic ointment and sent them off with blessings for better health... I hope she gets better soon... Pray for wisdom for me as people come to us with health issues. We are fortunate to have a medical clinic here as well as a hospital. I don't know how good the Doctors are, but I guarantee they have more experience than I do...

My boundaries

2011-01-06T17:02:00.002+01:00
I am struggling with my attitude. I know that I need some boundaries. And we are working on setting some up. But when kids disregard my requests to not enter our yard or to be quiet because our kids are sleeping I get frustrated. I realize they probably didn't really understand what I asked, and even if they did, they really have no framework for boundaries, or nap times. Kids nap on their moms backs, or pass out on the ground when they are too tired. Life is so different. A kid stops by convienently when we are eating lunch or dinner and Jeff with a heart twice the size of mine, invites him to join us. I just finished cleaning the house and not all these kids are even clean... After feeling protective of my time and my stuff and my house, I am reminded of Jesus.

In Matthew 25: 31-46 He talks about what we do for others, we do for Him... ³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

God help me to have a heart like yours...

Diaper blow outs

2011-01-02T11:26:00.006+01:00

Jethro modeling his cloth diapers!

Jeff changing a Zach diaper over a year ago.

Our daily diaper wash...

The diaper crisis has begun... We arrived in Mali with a weeks worth of disposable diapers and 14 cloth diapers that I used when Zach was a baby. Once we got settled in Kadiolo I started using the cloth diapers. We are working on potty training Zach, but we put a cloth diaper on him for naps and bedtime. About half the diapers have stretched out elastic in the legs. Between that and Zach and Jethro having diarrhea... I realize diapering is going to be a big challenge in Mali! We also finished our last package of wipes that came with us from France. You can find diapers and wipes in large cities in Mali, but they are expensive! So we are using washcloths for wipes and washing them along with our diapers! If I didn't feel like a pioneer woman before now, this will do it. Although those pioneer women didn't have nice cloth diapers like we do... Thank goodness for Fuzzibunz and bumgenius! I did order some replacement diapers and applied for a diaper grant so I hope those come soon!

Bienvenue

2010-12-18T12:16:00.007+01:00

We have arrived in Bamako. The journey was long. We changed planes once and then had another layover where you stay on the plane. Overall it went very well. This adventure seems surreal but also so completely normal. I'm not sure what to think. On one hand I have been here before, but on the other hand this is all new. I have never moved my family to Mali. When Jeff and I lived here together is was just the two of us and we had little to consider. I anticipate a lot of hard work, but today I feel ready for this new adventure.

Things that are fun...
The Maliens are awesome
There is so much to learn and discover
Bananas
Warmth
No winter coats
So many decisions to make

Things that are hard...
The Heat
Malaria Meds (the kids are getting better at swallowing pills)
Mosquito bites (Drew is covered)
We are not at home yet
So many decisions to make

The pros and cons overlap a lot at this point... but it is going well and we are ready to get 'home' and get settled for Christmas.

Jethro Isaac Frazee

2010-07-24T11:57:00.008+02:00

Jethro Isaac

Well I need to update my blog... I had a baby on April 29th, 2010. He was 9lbs 4ozs and 21 inches long. He was born in Antony France. My experience was a good one. God was trying to teach us something... that He really is the one in control, once again did we forget? After four children, two that were early, and two that were right on time, I went two weeks overdue with my fifth child! We were quite shocked! I was scheduled for an induction at 8AM on April 29th. After realizing I could not avoid being induced, I went to bed the night before and awoke one hour later to a strong contraction. Between every contraction for one hour I told myself it would just pass as contractions had done for the last month, every other night or so. But during each one I knew for a fact this was the real thing. Finally I woke Jeff and said we needed to call someone to watch the kids, and our neighbor to give us a ride. This was around 1AM. He wanted to know if I was sure, as anyone drug from deep sleep would want to know. :) Our Tunisian neighbor Mouna drove us to the hospital at about 2AM. After getting settled at the hospital the 'sage femme' informed me I was three centimeters. This I could not believe... the pain felt more like 7-8 to me... Well 30 more minutes of that and I decided I should have the epidural. Things progressed very quickly after that and Jethro was born around 6:20AM. I was exhausted and wanted to get home quickly. I left about 30 hours after his birth. Some good friends from Church helped us get home and had a little 'fete' for us complete with strawberry tart, champagne, and chocolate. It was a beautiful ceremony to welcome Jethro home into our family.

Two other ladies at our language school were due after me. Mandy had her baby Alex two weeks later at Antony, followed by Megan having her baby Evie a month later, also at Antony.

Jethro, Evie, Alex

Mandy, Me, Megan

Field Trip!!!

2010-04-02T15:40:00.000+02:00
So this week we experienced some misunderstandings with the Maternelle, Joe and Harley's school. We had signed permission slips for Harley and Joe to go on a field trip to the farm on Tuesday. So we prepared them for being at school all day. The school was going to provide a hot lunch at the farm so we would not be picking them up as usual. We went about our day and picked up Drew from school and had a quiet lunch with our oldest and youngest sons. Then after school as we were headed to pick up all kids, one parent stopped us on the street and asked if the school had reached us by phone? Apparently Harley did NOT have a field trip today, and was waiting to be picked up. After being unable to reach us the school had sent her to the 'cantine' for lunch with her classmates that stay over the lunch hour. We picked her up and when she got home I was all prepared to coddle her and give her treats and apologize for being such a terrible mom to leave her little girl in a school for two hours where she couldn't talk to anyone and had to eat strange food. When I asked her about it, she said she would prefer to only go to school once every day. (Since she didn't come home for lunch, she didn't HAVE to go back to school a second time!) Go figure...

So Thursday morning we woke her up and she asked if she could only go to school once that day. Sorry we said... today is a normal day. When Jeff went to pick up the kids for lunch he discovered that TODAY was Harley's field trip to the farm, and she would be having lunch there with her class... So she did get to go to school only once that day!

Well Harley has had some French experiences this week which she loved... and we have had an experience with misunderstanding the information we get from the school! Praise God for taking care of us and our children, when we don't know what is going on!!!

Consignment Sale in France

2010-03-29T15:59:00.000+02:00

It has been hard to find used things and baby items in France... up until this past week. We found a consignment sale last Saturday and really scored. Five of us ladies piled into one car and shopped till our hearts content. We found, play mats, bouncy seats, car seats, mattresses and many clothes!!! I only wish we knew the sex of our baby because the French have some really cute girl clothes!!! :) Two and a half weeks to go and we should know! Keep praying for a safe delivery for us and the perfect timing. I wouldn't mind early, but I am due the last day of class and it would also be nice to finish up this session. Although I must admit it is getting harder and harder to concentrate on my studies... :)

Ask and you shall receive...

2010-03-17T13:47:00.000+01:00
In so many ways… we are blessed and overblessed… I just need to share some of them wtih you. First of all, I wrote a blog while back called Love to France… it was in the midst of frustration over not knowing how to find things we wanted. Living in a foreign country is challenging. We have been so blessed by people who have showered us with packages with all sorts of goodies. Thank you for thinking of us and for sacrificing your time and money to light up our days. I cannot tell you how excited the kids are when we get a package and we all dig in with anticipation.

Another thing we have asked for, mostly from God, is for opportunities to speak french and make some friends. This last week we were blessed. We had a birthday party for Zach on Saturday. Jeff told me on Wednesday that I should go invite 3 of our neighbors to his party. I didn't want to… it is hard to approach a strangers door and use my broken french to talk… but I did. The first door I went to, a family with one little girl Harley's age invited me in. I almost said no, I need to go invite more people, but then thought better of it. We visited for about an hour after which we promised to stop by anytime and watch each others kids. She even offered to take me shopping in her car and after I have the baby, take me to a local moms group.

On Friday our Church has a ladies bible study. I have been trying to go with my friend Hilary from our school who also attends our Church. It has been canceled numerous times and this Friday she was going to be on vacation. But she asked one of the Church ladies if they could pick me up. So Friday I went to a ladies Bible Study. I did not understand a lot, but was once again blessed by their kindness to me. And enjoyed the fellowship between believers that crosses over cultural and language barriers. One Church lady had brought me two bags of toys for our kids that her daughters had outgrown. So thoughtful. And another lady told me there was a porta crib at Church for me. She knew we were looking for an extra baby bed. God just goes before us taking care of the extra things. When we left San Jose we knew our kids wouldn't miss their toys too much they couldn't bring with them, but isn't it just like God to provide for them anyway with extra!?

That night we recieved a phone call from a man we do not know from our Church. He said he had heard that we wanted to go visit the farm of another Church man, but didn't have a ride. He would be happy to pick us up and take us. So right after Zach's party Jeff, Drew, Joe and Harley went with Charles an hours ride away to a dairy farm. After an extensive tour they were able to sample the cheese made on the farm.

All three of the families we invited came to Zach's party on Saturday. (As well as many of our good friends from Les Cedres) It was a wild good time with about 20 kids.) Jeff even had one of our neighbors read a portion from Job and explained to them all why he had chosen the name Zachariah Job for him.

On Sunday we had been invited to a families home for lunch after Church. (Our Church goes till 1:30PM so this is a late affair.) After a pre appetizer of goat cheese, dried salami, pretzel sticks and juice, we were invited to a beautiful table for an appetizer salad, then a sausage and potato main course, followed by a cheese and wine, and then a delicious chocolate cake. Wow! We were impressed. Then we visited and the wife took me up to her attick and blessed me with baby clothes she had saved that were her own childrens things. I could not believe their kindness and generosity. They gave the kids books in french and let them play endlessly with toys. And fed them another snack. When we finally checked the time we saw that it was 7:20PM… He drove us home and when we got there he gave us a special cake from the south of france.

Also this last week Jeff met a couple at the park in front of our house from Tunisia. They were super friendly. They live just around the corner from us and on our second meeting with them they gave us their phone number and said to call them when we need a ride to the hospital. Day or night, they would be happy to take us. This is a blessing because Taxi's can take a long time to come, and some will refuse to take a pregnant women. If you are in the french health care system, you can call an ambulance, but we would have to pay for that!

So as you can see… when it rains, it pours… Thank God with us for all these opportunities and pray for us to have the energy to take it all in and continue to learn all we can. God is good...

Life is Good

2010-03-07T17:26:00.000+01:00

Life is good... I think transition goes up and down when you move to another country... but two months in is a good time for me. I know how to find the things we need, I know better how to ask for help... I know not to expect a rush of customer service... :) We just had an awesome visit with Jeff's mom... Lulu... the kids loved having her here. She spoiled us and helped us set up house. She watched the kids so we could go out on a date. And she was just there to share in our daily lives and be able to understand what life is like here for us. It is nice to have that connection with someone from back home.

Pray for us this week as the kids go back to school after two weeks off. It will be a bit hard. I meet with an anesthesiologist on Tuesday at the Hospital. And on Friday I am going to a bible study with ladies from Church. Also I am planning to celebrate Zach's 2nd birthday this coming Saturday. We met a nice couple at the park yesterday, pray we bump into them again... it would be nice to invite them to Zach's birthday party.

Love to France...

2010-01-24T15:54:00.000+01:00

Care packages are fun and people have asked what we would like here if they wanted to send something. So I thought I would write out a few things. Some would fit in an envelope with a letter, others would be in a box.

Tacco Seasoning... (yes we miss taccos)
Koolaid
Chap stick
smarties
Gum
Thank You notes (very hard to find here)
Peanut butter
Fishy crackers or animal crackers
Kids vitamins
Stickers
Note pads
Magnets

We are getting more used to what we can find here and how to make it work. I love a granola I found for breakfast with vanilla yogurt on it. We eat sandwiches for lunch almost every day. (Jeff picks up a baguette on his way home with the kids.) And dinenrs have been random. Quiche, frozen pizza, lentil soup, grilled cheese, rice and sauce. Meat is very expensive here and frozen dinners are cheap. So we are using the more 'unhealthy' frozen dinners most school nights so I don't have to put much brain power or time into cooking after studying all day.

Lessons from The Little Prince

2010-01-18T16:01:00.000+01:00

Jeff has been reading The Little Prince to our kids at bedtime since we arrived in France. The other day while he was reading about the Fox being tamed by the little prince I found myself very moved. The reasons that have been hard for me to leave my friends and all that I find comforting and familiar is that I have let myself be tamed by them. The fox talked about what it would be like to be tamed by the Prince like this…

“If you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music out of my burrow. And then look: you see the grain-fields down yonder? I do not eat bread. Wheat is of no use to me. And that is sad. But you have hair that is the color of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me! The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you. And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat…”

So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near- “Ah,” said the fox, “I shall cry.”

“It is your own fault,” said the little prince. “I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you…”

“Yes that is so,” said the fox.

“But now you are going to cry!” said the little prince.

“Yes that is so,” said the fox.

“Then it has done you no good at all!”

“It has done me good,” said the fox, “because of the color of the wheat fields.”

Then as the little prince left the fox he gave the little prince some advice… “What is essential is invisible to the eye” and “it is the time you have wasted on what you have tamed that makes it so important to you.”

Many things remind me of dear friends and family. I am glad I was tamed by you, so that I am reminded of you as I see things that we shared in common. It is hard to be away, but the memories we share make it worth the sadness.

Shopping in France

2010-01-15T15:12:00.000+01:00

I am starting to get the hang of this kind of life... I bought a shopping cart that I can pull home from the store... now the trick is only buying what fits in there so I don't also have bags to carry alongside... more trips but less weight per trip. It goes so against my Costco/stock up shopping mind that I have trained myself for. Luckily the store are not far... all within one Kilometer I think. That between half and three quarters of a mile. I have not been real creative with my cooking yet, just eating the basics, but I might try a quiche this weekend. Maybe I should get the Julie Childs cookbook and work through it like in the Julie and Julia move... NO... that would never work at this pace of life we are living. But I would like a french cookbook... it would call for things that I can actually find in the stores.

A New Year with New Challenges

2010-01-10T16:29:00.000+01:00

January 1^st, 2010

I have to admit, I brought in the New Year with tears. I don’t know why this adjustment has been so hard for me. It is not that I don’t like being here. The people I have met are great. I like getting lots of walking exercise and exploring. Trying new food sounds exciting.

But I miss the familiarity of home. I miss being able to be surprised by a phone call or instant message from someone. It all started with Jeff asking why I really want internet at our house. We can go over to our school everyday and we have free internet there. So is it really that big of a deal to also have it here in our home. I don’t know why this is such a tough issue for me to let go of. I had ideas of hearing the Skype phone call and being surprised that someone had reached us. Maybe they were awake in the middle of the night and knew we would be up. Or after I am home with our new baby, getting on and talking to people from my bed, letting them see our new baby. Or even keeping up with your blogs and emails so I know what is going on with my friends and family back home. Not that I cannot do that from school once a day, and plan times to Skype people from there. I guess the ability to be connected to the world any time I want was much more deeply imbedded than I realized. I feel like Jeff was surgically removing it from me and it hurts. I believe he has good reasons and it will be good for our family on different levels. But why is it so hard for me? I don’t know. It was not one of the things I expected to have to give up this year.

Getting Settled

2009-12-30T18:26:00.000+01:00

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Life is grey… the sun peaks out from time to time, but we mostly see grey skies. I feel like I am in the country of amazing food, and I don’t know how to make or acquire any of it. I did find a good bakery this morning and brought home a baguette that made great lunch sandwiches. Even regular staples don’t taste the same. The eggs have a unique smell and taste. There are three isles of yogurt at the grocery store. I don’t know where to begin! Peanut butter is rare. It costs about $8 for a small jar. Luckily I have gone shopping with American friends who have been a huge help in figuring it all out.

Our home needs some sprucing up. I should have asked for IKEA gift certificates for Christmas. I think we will get some curtains and we need something on the walls. Maybe a few throw rugs to help things feel homier. Some candles would be nice too. We also need a few plastic cups and maybe some that hold more than 4 oz of liquid.  My new friends Hilary and Michelle stopped by and said they would take me to IKEA on Saturday!

We have learned a few good tips. The French don’t do garage sales, but once a month everyone throws out their goods and you can go dumpster diving for used but good stuff. (We might look for a new couch and dinning chairs.) Mimolete cheese tastes the most like cheddar. You need one euro to ‘use’ a shopping cart.

So we are getting acclimated. I think we will all feel better when we start sleeping through the night. Jet lag is hanging on for dear life. I am not used to the kids being awake in the middle of the night. It is almost 6AM in California and already 3PM here. Or should I say 15:00.

We still have five days till school starts… hopefully we will be ready!

From Massy France

2009-12-27T08:38:00.000+01:00
Well this is my first morning waking up in France. It is a good day. I was going to blog yesterday and it wouldn't have had such an encouraging note to the blog. Though our trip was uneventful and everything went well. The affects of sleep deprivation on top of culture shock upon arrival did not bring out the best in us. The kids were wired and we were sleepy, not a good combo. We were homesick for the familiar and the predictable. We were homesick for our beds and the ability to send the kids outside. We were homesick for family and friends to lean on for support and help. We were homesick for the predictability of knowing how to get a good meal for the kids. But today is a new day. Although sleep was sporadic and choppy, there was enough of it and we are feeling much better. I woke up to a breakfast of pain au chocolate and hot chocolate. What could be better? We will be moving from the hotel to our apartment today and hope to start making it feel like home. I will try to blog more while we are here and upload some photos.

Sonlight

2009-06-09T06:19:00.000+02:00
Wow it has been too long since I have blogged. I know this because I usually read others blogs around the same time I blog myself. And I have 61 blog entries to catch up on. Probably wont get that done tonight! I just wanted to share the joy in my life of homeschooling. I was given a lot of homeschooling material by a sweet lady in Monterey. Most of it was Sonlight curriculum. We are anticipating a departure for France sometime in the fall. And since I wanted to try out homeschooling while still here in the USA with resources for help, I decided to give it a try now. Yes... actually now. I am going to give Drew and Joe a week off after they are through with school, and then we are getting started on Kindergarden and 3rd grade. The cool thing about homeschooling is you can make your own schedule. Then if we want to take a week off for VBS or vacation, we can do that too. I did ask the boys if they even wanted me to teach them and if they wanted to do school this summer, and they both said YES! I will also be attempting to teach some preschool to Harley. (Pray for us there!) Anyway... I'm excited to give it a try and will let you know how it goes.

Last one... it's a good one... :)

2009-05-06T08:17:00.001+02:00

Project #5
E-flirt.com

Text or E-mail Some Sweet Nothings

“I turn on my computer. I wait patiently as it connects. I go online. My breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words, “You’ve got Mail.” I hear nothing, not a sound on the streets of New York. Just the beat of my own heart… I have mail, from you.”
Meg Ryan as Kathleen Kennedy in “You’ve Got Mail”

Your Project
Send a flirty text or e-mail to your husband.

Getting Creative

Use an e-card service (hallmark.com or americangreetings.com) to send a cute and flirty note.
Don’t know how to text? Ask any teenager in the general vicinity.
Most phones have a camera feature where you can send a photo message. Be sure to keep it G rated so that he doesn’t get in trouble at work.

This is the 4th out of 5 of these...

2009-05-05T09:48:00.000+02:00

Project #4
Heart vs. Stomach

A Treat Just for Him

“You can tell a lot about a fellow’s character by his way of eating jellybeans.”
Ronald Reagan

Your Project:
Get a food treat for your husband that he’s not required to share with you or any other family member.

Getting Creative
Stumped for ideas? Here are some thoughts:

Get his favorite pint of Ben & Jerry’s and hide it behind the frozen chicken. Even if you buy it on Tuesday, you’ll have it ready and waiting for his special night later in the week.
Is there a certain cut of meat that your husband loves? How about having the butcher cut something just for him? Most supermarkets will even do the marinade for you – one less thing to think about.
Is there a certain candy that your husband loves from his childhood? Check out www.candywarehouse.com. They have all the nostalgic candy you could want (Black Jack Gum, anyone?) while also carrying any modern favorite you could be looking for.
My husband’s family loves something called “noodles and mashed potatoes” (we lovingly refer to it as “The Starch Fest”). I learned how to make this special dish just for him.
My guy loves the smell of baking almost as much as he enjoys eating the treat. Have some brownies in the oven when he gets home from work or working out. (I know, it negates the workout, but isn’t chocolate always worth it?)
Our friend Scott mentioned that he loves cranberry sauce, but eats it only at Thanksgiving. His wife intentionally made the holiday treat for him this past July.
Are you a wife who is an expert at low-cal salads and other forms of chick-food? Check out The Ultimate Guide to Man Food at www.kathilipp.com for ideas

An amazing weekend...

2009-05-03T23:54:00.000+02:00

Jeff and I went to a marriage enrichment conference this weekend. He did not think it was a good conference, I thought it was good. How's that for a united front? :) I do totally see his point and agree they could have challenged us more, but I really appreciated the time to reflect and learn some new ways to approach and support Jeff. I was actually able to confess something to Jeff that I was not sure how to do before this weekend. Scared out of my wits would be a better description. It gave a good opportunity to discus things that would not have come up without the structure. So I am thankful for the time with Jeff, thankful for his understanding and forgiveness, and thankful for the passionate and unconditional love he offers me. (Even though he drove me crazy with his constant dialogue about how the conference could be better, I came away from it with a better and renewed understanding of who he is.) Two of the things I took away were...

1. The perfect wife does not expect the perfect husband.
2. Strengths pushed to extremes can become a weakness.

There was a whole lot more, but I'll leave it for now.

Project #3

2009-05-01T05:37:00.001+02:00

Project #3
You da’ Man

Spreading Great Gossip About Your Guy

Your Project:
Say something nice about your husband to someone else. Make sure you tell him what you said, and to whom.

Getting Creative
Who are the important people in your husband’s life? Your kids, his parents, his friends? Be intentional about who you chat with when you brag on him – it’s almost as important as actually doing it.
Having a hard time coming up with something? I still brag on my guy for things he did years ago. He loves when I tell the story of how brilliantly he proposed (there were waterfalls and stuffed portabella mushrooms involved…).

Here are some other areas to think about when crafting your brag:

His parenting skills
His patience level
The way he treats your mom
His culinary ability
His job
His loyalty to you

Project #2

2009-04-30T07:10:00.000+02:00

Project #2
Back in the Day

Do Something He Enjoyed Before You Got Married

“Lust is easy. Love is hard. Like is most important.” ~ Carl Reiner

Your Project:

Initiate an activity that your husband used to love. Whether it’s his favorite hobby, sport, or pastime, it’s time for you to get involved – be his buddy today.

Getting Creative

Many a man’s hobby has gone by the wayside due to matrimony. Is it possible that it’s time you learned to golf or fly fish? Don’t try to beat him, just join him.
Possibly the only thing your husband would enjoy more than playing chess with you is teaching you how to play chess. Ask for a lesson so he can teach you something that he is an expert at (or really loves). Just your willingness to learn will be a huge boost to your guy.
Pick up a magazine about your guy’s now dormant hobby. Ask him questions about why he loves it so much. Learn a couple of technical terms so that you are better able to discuss it.
Do a little research. Find out what the definitive website is on your husband’s favorite subject. Maybe there’s an event in town, a lecture to attend, or a game to watch.

Project #1

2009-04-27T04:34:00.000+02:00

Project #1

30 Minutes is All it Takes

Create Some Free Time When He Gets Home

“There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want.”
~Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes

Your Project:

Focus on your husbands transitional 30 minutes today. Would he like to be left alone to rest and rejuvenate, or does he want some undivided attention from you? The point is to let your husband know you value what he does out in the world, and that he has a safe loving place to come home and get refreshed at the end of the day.

Getting Creative
There are plenty of reasons why it might not be easy for you to give your husband some transition time at the end of the day. You need to look at what can work for your relationship. Be creative, like the stories listed below. Brainstorm with your friends until you find a situation that will work for you and your guy.

My friend, Joann, purposely scheduled her daughter’s dance classes twice a week at the same hour that her husband gets home from work. That way, her hubby comes home to an empty house. He gets some quiet, and she gets a more peaceful man.

One husband has his workshop out in the garage. His wife encourages him to go and hang out there for a while before dinner. (Since starting this arrangement, her husband has started helping out with the after-dinner clean up. Nice side benefit.)

Crockpots are The Husband Project’s best friend. Set your crockpot to be finished thirty minutes after your husband gets home from work. Let him know that you don’t need anything until dinner is ready. Don’t know a crockpot from a flower pot? Check out the recipes in The Ultimate Guide to Man Food at www.kathilipp.com

Does your husband already have a great transition routine after getting home? Find some other little thing to bless that time. Maybe it’s making sure the TV is available, his favorite sweats are clean and ready to be changed into, or there’s a cold soda waiting for him in the fridge. It may be so small that he doesn’t even notice. That’s okay – you’ll know what you did.

What if your husband works from home? Maybe the best way to help him relax is to ask what he would like the schedule to be. Does he want dinner before or after he gets some time to recharge? Ask him what would make his night better.

bragin on my hubby

2009-04-26T09:03:00.000+02:00
OK I just have to brag on Jeff sometimes... he is so sweet and good to me. He is an awesome dad, husband, lover... you get the idea. He has been so good at helping out around the house lately and being an encouragement to me. I have been working real hard at loosing weight the last couple months. So he said to me this morning... 'I didn't think I would like you as much if you lost weight, but you are looking really good. ' (He is so good at loving me just the way I am. I have told him that is part of the reason I had no real motivation to work at losing weight! Ha!)

The Husband Project

2009-04-26T07:50:00.000+02:00

I recently saw the movie Fireproof and have been thinking of ways to encourage my hubby and keep our marriage strong. I ran across this book on a friends blog and there is a five day challenge that I will post on here. So come back every day for the next challenge and lets see if we can encourage our husbands and bring some intimacy back... (if it's missing for you-maybe you don't need any help) So here is some info about the book and the author. Tomorrow I will post the first challenge. Let me know if you do this and how it goes.

Do you feel like your marriage has gone from "I do" to "What did I do?" Recapture the romance that made you and your husband fall in love in the first place. The Husband Project provides 21 days of fun activities to show love and honor to your husband. Kathi Lipp will help you discover:
Proven ways to return fun and flirting to your marriage.
Inner assurance to meet your husband’s unspoken emotional needs.
Increased confidence when it comes to meeting your husbands sexual needs.
New levels of warmth and tenderness in your relationship.
A deeper sense of security with your husband.
A greater ability to boost your husband’s belief in himself.
Q&A with Kathi
Kathi, why did you want to write The Husband Project?

When my husband and I got married, I was determined not to be like so many other couples who turned from romantics to roommates in a matter or months. But, like everyone else, we got back form the honeymoon and had kids and bills and home repairs waiting. It wasn’t long until I packed away the lingerie and was wearing sweats to bed. I knew that if I wasn’t intentional about keeping my husband a priority, it would be easy to let him fall to the middle of my to-do list. I had to get desperate and creative – that is how The Husband Project was born.

Tell me, how does The Husband Project work?

The Husband Project is like a workout program for your marriage – only with less sweat and more chocolate. You commit to do fun and flirty things for 21 days to raise the temperature of your marriage – everything from flirty notes on the bathroom mirror to more lingerie in the bedroom. It is a little bit of work – and a whole lot of fun.

How did you come up with the Projects?

All of these projects are husband tested and wife approved. First I tried things out on my husband, and then I had a group of over 200 women try some of those projects out on their own men. We took the projects that had the highest flirt factor and put them into the book.

Don’t most women want to do nice things for their husbands? Why do you need a book to do them?

Oh, I totally agree. We all have great intentions, but blessing your man is like making dinner: The hardest part isn’t the cooking, it is deciding what to fix. It is the same with the husband project – all the ideas are pretty simple, but the Projects just lay it out so that it is easy to do.

Give me an example of what a project looks like.

Most of the projects take less than 5 minutes or 5 dollars. One woman made her husband’s favorite brownies and put one on his nightstand every evening for five days. Another wife just casually mentioned to her mother-in-law what an amazing man she had raised in front of her husband. That man lived off that compliment for two weeks. We also collected some of the best low-cost dating ideas from the women who have done The Husband Project and have those up on the website at www.kathilipp.com under Free Resources to give you even more ideas than what are found in the book.

What are Bonus Projects?

Bonus Projects are the PG13 part of The Husband Project. They are once a week assignments to have sex with your husband. (I know you won’t be surprised to find out that these were the husband’s favorite projects.)

Besides the Bonus Projects what were some of the husband’s other favorite projects?

The second most popular category of projects was definitely food. The guys loved it when their wives made something just for them. In fact, it was such a big part of the Project that we had the wives send in their favorite recipes that you can get free on my website kathilipp.com It’s called The Ultimate Guide to Man Food and it is all the guys favorite recipes in one collection.

Why do you want women to keep The Husband Project a secret from their guy?

Look, I would never tell you to keep anything from your husband – that is just bad marriage management. But I think The Husband Project should be the exception. I wasn’t upset when my husband threw me a surprise party – this is the same type of situation.

61%

2009-04-03T06:26:00.000+02:00
So you should be getting our newsletter in the mail any day now. They just went out today. But I already have a new update. We had a new Church come on today to support us and our percentage is up to 61%!!! We are very excited about this new partnership. They are a huge encouragement. This newsletter was the second in a series of four designed to get us out the door by August. Keep praying with us!!!

Rocky...

2009-03-31T00:58:00.001+02:00
So I had to go to the dentist today. I had broken my filling in the tooth that had a root canal... Yuck. So I am sitting in the chair waiting and my chair started rocking and it felt like a big truck was driving by. I wondered what equipment the office was using to create such a ruckus. Then I thought, Oh No! Its an earthquake! Then I was scarred for one second and then is was over. Wow... my second earthquake to feel. And at the Dentist to boot. It is such a crazy feeling. Life feels so totally out of control in those few seconds. OK, I need to go work on dinner... just wanted to share...

Sing, Norah Singh

2009-03-17T05:36:00.001+01:00

Here is a video we made at youth group for our dear friends Deep and Michelle whose beautiful daughter Norah Singh went home to be with God.

The Promised Photos

2009-03-12T04:53:00.000+01:00

There are a few things we started as seeds, so those are not pictured yet. The boys really enjoyed this and so did I. One extra thing we found to plant was rhubarb. Yum

Planting my Garden

2009-03-11T20:01:00.001+01:00
I am excited once again to get my hands dirty and get some veggies and herbs planted in the garden. The boys and I really enjoy the work of getting the dirt ready and putting in our seeds. This year I am going to try a few new things. A yellow squash, potatoes, romaine lettuce, parsley, chives, thyme, lemon balm and peppermint. As well as my norm... tomato, lettuce, carrots, basil, onions, and our staple, strawberries. I haven't investigated the acidity of my dirt yet. I imagine that would help my plants grow better. Does anyone else have experience with that? Sometimes I get a good crop off things and others don't do very well.

So anyway... I will take photos this afternoon as we plant and let you all know how it goes...

PS... do you like my springy new blog look?

Trois filles ont accepté Jesus Christ dans leur vie aujourd'hui.

2009-02-11T08:31:00.000+01:00

Today at kids club I had the joy and privilege of being used by God to pray with three third grade girls to ask Christ to come into their lives. It is just a mystery to me how we come into a relationship with Christ and how our lives grow in Him. But I am excited about being sisters in Christ with these girls and now having the opportunity to help disciple them throughout the rest of the year. Please pray for me to have wisdom on these Tuesdays when I meet with them and do my best to share what I know with them. I feel so feeble and incapable sometimes in my ability to share Christ, but I know He does the real work and we just have to be wiling...

Joe was with me at kids club today and then went home with his Lulu. At bedtime I guess he asked about praying to have Jesus come into his heart. He had been listening at Kids Club also and knew something big was going on. (He was very attentive to the lesson, which was hard to do with 150 or so kids that were not all being so quiet!) So pray for us also as we talk to him about his understanding of Christ and what He did for him. This is what it is all about... Praise God for opportunities like these!!!

The Dentist

2009-02-08T20:51:00.000+01:00

I took Harley and Joe to the Dentist this week... finally, I was feeling a like a bad mommy for neglecting their teeth. They were both good sports and did not cry a bit. They had no cavities so I am pleased with that. Here are a few photos... Oh and pray for me tomorrow... it is Drew's turn and I already know he has one cavity. Last time he went they didn't do anything about it because they thought his teeth would start to fall out soon. But that was almost two years ago and he has lost NO teeth yet!

2008-12-31T08:53:00.000+01:00
More encouraging news. We got three new supporters this week. Praise God! And pray for Zach and I on Thursday the 1st. We will be flying to Grand Rapids and then on Friday driving to the wedding of one our girls from boarding school days. We will be flying home on Monday. I have a bit of a cough and Zach has been sick the last couple days, so please pray for health and good sleep on this trip. Thanks...

Encouragement...

2008-12-21T06:19:00.000+01:00
Hello one and all... I have not really blogged in a long time. It has been a tough road but I wanted to thank those of you that support us and pray for us. I REALLY appreciate your partnership and participation in our lives as we follow this road to Mali. We were encouraged recently by someone in our lives that was blessed by a new job and just told us they wanted to start supporting us for $100 a month. She said she felt God was leading her to do this. We were shocked and humbled... and it was a reminder that not only does our support not come from where we expect it might, but it was a reminder that God is the one who orchestrates our going and coming and He will lead us. We have had many discouraging days as life takes it's toll. It is hard living in constant limbo. We would like to make plans but it is hard. Here is the verse that is ALWAYS an encouragement.

Acts 17:26-28

26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live and move and have our being.

We are now at 47%!!!

Holiday Disco

2008-12-20T07:22:00.001+01:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Enjoying the Midwest

2008-11-25T19:19:00.001+01:00

Eliana Grace Kunkle

We are in our last week of a three week jouney to the midwest. I love this place. It is such a new world when you have been in another country or just California. So we love being in Church here and signing hymns and sitting in pews. We love being asked what kind of POP we want to drink. We love paying $1.65 for gas!!! And we love the gentle fall of white winter snow... (We also love that we wont be here for the next four months to shovel said snow!)

Mostly I am enjoying my family. I have a six month old niece Eliana who I met. I have a 5 week old nephew Noah who I just met. And I love haning out with my parents and family. It goes so fast!!!

See you soon, California...

Noah William Kunkle

Happy Halloween

2008-11-01T20:31:00.001+01:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Carving it Up

2008-10-27T17:27:00.000+01:00

Jeff loves carving pumpkins. Yesterday he and Drew and Joe worked on carving their pumpkins. He did a cool time lapse too if you want to see it, go check his blog.

Noah William Kunkle

2008-10-18T00:04:00.000+02:00

Here is the before picture!

Ok... I just have to tell you that I am an auntie for the fourth time. My second nephew was born today to Nathan and Stacie Kunkle. He was 10 Pounds 1 ounce and 21 inches long. (Way to go Stacie!!!) I am so thrilled for them. This is their second child. Abby is 2 1/2 and will be a great big sister. I am so thankful that I am going out to Michigan in November and will get to meet Noah as well as Eliana who will be 6 months old! We are so rich in family!

I just have to add that we didn't know what sex the baby was for any of my nieces, nephews, or our own children! That is so rare anymore, and I am proud of all my siblings doing that also! It was such a joy to find out today that she had a boy!!!!

And Here He IS!

Family Photo

2008-10-18T00:00:00.000+02:00

This photo is of my mom, her older sister and her parents. It is one I have never seen before. I love looking into the past and seeing a glimpse of my mom's life. I don't remember her mom. She died when I was four. I wish I could have known her. People say there is a family resemblance. What do you think?

Oh yea... today is my grandpa's 85th birthday and he just had a great grandson born today! What a day to rejoice!

October...???

2008-10-15T23:19:00.000+02:00

Gina, Me, Christine

Can it really be October? Did I totally miss a whole month of blogging? I really don't know what happened there. Except to say that life is continuing to fly by at hyper speed. Most recently I went to Ojai for a whirlwind two days with Zachariah to speak to Life Design. (A women's Bible study that meets at Ojai Valley Community Church- the Church we attended while living in Ojai.) This Bible study group is sponsoring three missionary families that the Church supports. They have been sending us encouraging letters, they are saving their change to give us, they are making scarves to auction off and raise money for us. (And the other missionaries.) So I went down to speak to them and tell them a little more about what we are doing now and what we hope to do in Mali. It was a very encouraging time for me. I love being with my good friends down in Ojai. I was also impressed by the ladies at Life Design that really seem to have a heart for serving God and doing His will. It was so uplifting to spend some time there. Thanks for your hospitality ladies!

Autumn, Zach, Amber

Birthday Water

2008-08-27T20:46:00.000+02:00

OK... so by birthday is coming up... (In case you forgot!) :) A friend invited me to help out this September project to bring clean water to people in Ethiopia. So in lieu of presents, I would like people to donate to getting clean water to people. Here is the link...

Aim Lower, Think Smaller, Give Up, and Go Have a Cup of Coffee!

2008-08-26T05:24:00.000+02:00
Here is an interesting video that my mom shared with me this week. Watch it and let me know what you think. Pray with us about wisdom in challenging out kids to share Christ with the world! And for our faithfulness and doing it also!

Swimmin'

2008-08-21T23:32:00.000+02:00

Wow... it's been so long since I blogged, the page actually looks different. :) So I must write about how proud I am of my boys. They went from being totally afraid of the water at the begining of this summer to being very comfortable in it and Drew is even swimming some. They both go underwater now. Here are some photos of their big accomplishment. Growing up I was a total fish in the water and then was on the swim team in high school and then life guarded in college, so I am thrilled to have them swimming!!! Enjoy the photos... and it's good to be back! :)

Going Green

2008-07-12T00:28:00.000+02:00

Well I have been lamenting the cost of diapers for many years. Recently in Colorado I talked to someone who was using cloth diapers. Now I used cloth diapers with Drew when we lived in Cote d'Ivoire. It was a mess and I did not like it. Well they have some pretty cool cloth diapers now and decided to give it another try. Actually it is an all or nothing deal cause these are pretty expensive. But after spending about $80 month on disposables and filling up the land fills with our diapers, I decided it was worth it. So now here is our happy little Zachariah. Still smiling with his Happy Heinys and Fuzzi Bunz.

Fathers Day

2008-06-16T03:28:00.000+02:00

This is Janessa, Zach's teacher for the last three weeks. He will have a new teacher for the next two, and he will miss her. She was such a sweetie!

We went to the air force chapel for Church this morning. It was an interesting experience. It was mostly tourists as far as I could tell that were there. Today was fathers day and they did have a nice message. Communion was taken up front in two long lines with the choice of wine or grape juice. I went with Drew and he chose grape juice.

The chapel has stain glass windows that go up all sides so when the sun hits them, it really shines through so beautifully on the inside.

We were sad to see most of our friends go on Friday. We are still at MTI, but our SPLICE program is finished and our PILAT program is begining on Monday night. New people have started to arrive and it is strange already to see new faces here. It is amazing how close you can get to people in three weeks.

The kids all went up to the train tracks with Jeff today and played in a huge dirt pile. They were all so filthy. After their baths I took this photo of Harley. Jeff got some good footage of the train. I'm sure he'll be making a great video of this place after we get home to share with you all.

MTI SlideShow

2008-06-08T05:46:00.001+02:00

Here we Are...

2008-06-07T22:52:00.000+02:00

We have been in Palmer Lake Colorado for 2 weeks now. We are participating in Cultural Adaptation training. It has been really good for the whole family. We are doing our best to keep the kids on normal scheduals.

Drew and Joe have been in classes that correspond to what we are learning. From talking about things we are looking forward to when moving to Mali, and things we are not excited about. We have talked about conflict styles... I am a turtle and Jeff is a shark. (Not a surprise if you know us well.) And we have talked about the stages of transition between two cultures. From being settled in your home culture, to unsettled, to chaos, to unsettled in your new culture, to settled in your new culture. It was interesting to see where the kids saw themselves.

Joe, Drew, Hannah and their teacher, Uncle David. (David is an MK from France.)

There are many fun people here that we are getting to know. One family we knew from our appointment with WorldVenture last June. The Hermans. They have three teen agers who are great with our kids. It is amazing being around so many people who are like minded.

Katie and Harley are so stylish.

I'm In Love!!!

2008-05-25T04:40:00.000+02:00

I am so in love with this kid. We are having so much fun with him. You would think you would get tired of all the new things a baby does by baby number four. But on the contrary, Jeff is convinced Zach is happier and has more smiles than all our other kids. He is just SO Cute! He is also very ticklish. :)

That is just a sock on his hand, his feet are not up by his face!

MTI Training!!!

2008-05-23T21:37:00.000+02:00

We are leaving at 6:30 AM on Monday May 26th for Mission Training International in Colorado. We will be there for five weeks during which we will be trained in Language Acquisition Techniques and the vitals of cross-cultural ministry. We will be in classes Monday through Friday and our kids will attend classes as well. We will be staying on this compound where all the classes are held. There are 60 people total in these classes and living on this compound. Please pray for our safety during our travels and for these five weeks, that we will get all we can out of it. Also continue to pray for our support to come in. We are currently at 35% of our support and we would still love to leave in August if we could reach 100% by then.

Zachariah's Smiles

2008-05-20T21:56:00.000+02:00

Jeff put together this amazing video and I wanted to share it here in case anyone didn't get the email from him.

A Sprinkler???

2008-05-19T23:38:00.000+02:00

MaryLou heard what sounded like a sprinkler left on as she headed upstairs, so she began looking in the bushes. After seeing no water, an Erie feeling crept over her and she called for Jeff to come quickly. After confirming that it was in fact a Rattle Snake, they called Harley and began the hunt to get it out of the bushes and kill it. (Sorry animal lovers...) The kids all watched from a high perch on the porch, and MaryLou actually swung the fatal blow.

I swung a few more blows just to make sure. I have children nearby after all. Many thanks to our cat who sniffed it out and got it's rattler going. And to the vultures who made off with it! I hope that's the last one around here, but I doubt it!

the BOW

2008-05-17T02:00:00.001+02:00
OK... MaryLou found this bow when we had Harley so I just had to pass it on to my niece. I think she looks adorable in that bow. I can't wait to hold her...

Eliana Grace

Jeff and Eliana

Angela and Harley

Eliana Grace Kunkle

2008-05-15T23:16:00.000+02:00

I have a lot to praise God for this week. My brother Jeff and his wife Angela have been on a long road to have a baby. Many of you, my dear friends and readers have prayed for them with me over the years. Well yesterday they gave birth to a little girl. (Or I should say a big girl!) Eliana Grace Kunkle. (It means God has answered our Prayers.) She was born in Zeeland Michigan at 2:52 AM and was 21 inches and 9 Pounds. I am a very proud Auntie!!

Seeing my Dad

2008-05-15T22:53:00.000+02:00

I am so behind in my blogging... when is there time these days??? OK, so last week on Wednesday my dad (who lives in Michigan and is a charter pilot) got a flight to Hanford California. (About three hours from here.) He was only going to be on the ground for three hours but we couldn't resist the chance to see him and have him meet Zachariah. SO we left our house at 6:30 AM and drove to Hanford to surprise my dad. He was thrilled that we had made the effort and we loved every minute of our short few hours with him!!! Drew missed a field trip to see a play that day, but his field trip with us included sitting in my dads Jet. Pretty cool exchange I would say.

Highlights of Womens Retreat 2008

2008-05-08T16:05:00.000+02:00

* Staying in the most beautiful Hotel with the most beautiful view!!!

* Playing Spoons till all hours of the night with friends!
* Shopping in Pismo with those friends, and getting a special gift for a special friend!

* Being with Friends from Ojai that I only see once or twice a year!!!

* Sharing my newest Joy... Zachariah with my dear friends.

* And coming to know more than ever that God has us in this place in life for a reason. It was a wonderful weekend!!!

**** And Oh YES.... The Chocolate was amazing!!!

Off Again...

2008-05-02T00:17:00.000+02:00

I am happy to announce that I am headed to Avila Lighthouse Hotel for two days for Ojai Valley Community Church's Womens Retreat. Yea... MaryLou gave this weekend to me for a Christmas gift and I am SO grateful. Cheers for a wonderful Lulu!!! Plus... Zachariah has slept through the night for the past three nights... so that is just in time to keep me well rested to party with my girls. Here I come...

In Memory Of...

2008-04-28T05:54:00.001+02:00

When we were dorm parents at ICA, we had the most beautiful and amazing young girl in our dorm. Lori Morrison. She was a southern belle in the most innocent way. I loved the way she would say 'Uuuncle Jeefff' with her cute southern accent. She was always smiling and laughing and sincere. We just found out yesterday that she did not wake up in the morning. I don't know yet why she died. She was in the emergency room and they did not find anything wrong so they sent her home. And the next morning she was gone. I know she is with our father in Heaven. She knew Him, trusted in Him, hoped in Him, and had a person relationship with Him. She was an amazing girl and I just pray for her parents who are on their way back from Africa and her three older siblings who are suffering from the loss of Lori. Here is a link to a page in memory of her on facebook.

Brothers and Cousins

2008-04-21T23:57:00.000+02:00

Jeff's brother Jim,his wife Becca, and their new son Caleb are out visiting us for a few days from Brooklyn, New York.

Sleep...

2008-04-18T19:49:00.000+02:00

I have been wanting to blog... but I type so slowly one handed and I'm usually only in front of the computer when I'm nursing. So... things are going well. Zach did get a cold so pray he gets better soon. We are still up once or twice a night. I could relate to this cartoon. Although Jeff said he would take a night feeding sometime soon, so I'll let you know if that works out. We are excited to see Jeff's brother Jim, his wife Becca, and our new nephew Caleb tomorrow. Yea!!! I'll put up some photos of the little cousins after the weekend.

One Fat Cat

2008-03-30T04:04:00.000+02:00

Pilchard our cat is an outdoor cat. We got him and his sister Bird, a couple years ago to take care of our mouse problem. We no longer have a mouse problem, or ground squirrel or gopher, or bird problems. When Pilchard gets in, he heads for a nice bed to sleep on. Lately I have found him in Zachs bed! He is enormous for your average outdoor cat. you can see here how he dwarfs our Granny.

Zach my Boy

2008-03-30T03:58:00.000+02:00

Despite my slightly sleepy and foggy head. I am quite clear on my deep and growing love for Zachariah. He is a good baby. And my head and heart are full of possibilities for him. It is fun to watch him grow and change already in his short two and half weeks. He eats non stop, but I see it as a labor of love that is providing him the very best he can have at this young stage of life. He is up usually twice a night still. So the days I get to go back to sleep after the six AM feeding, are happier days. :) (Some have questioned that six AM is still nighttime. Well when you are up for one to two hours at 2 AM, then it is still nighttime at 6.) We are so fortunate that he is fitting in so well with our family. (Yea for families of Six!!!)

Joe Talking So Much

2008-03-17T22:50:00.000+01:00
Watch this!

Zachariah Job Frazee

2008-03-15T02:18:00.000+01:00

Well I had every intention of adding some more info to the last post before heading off to the hospital. However, when I decided it was time to go... I did not have blogging on my mind! So we arrived at the hospital around 1am. I had the epidural by about 3am. And he was born at 4:41am. He weighed 8 pounds 4 ounces and was 21 inches long. So all in all it was a good experience. I feel beat up and tired and worn out, but really quite good over all. Zach is eating well and I think I will have some milk to give him tonight or tomorrow. I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight. (As much sleep as I can get.) Thanks for all your prayers...

Look for more photos HERE!

Contractions...

2008-03-11T19:54:00.000+01:00
The rest is history... but I thought I would post what Heidi was going to post as we ran out the door to have a baby.

I woke up this morning around 7 am after a much more fitful night than usual and started having fairly painful contractions every 10-30minutes. Not too regular, but they are hard. I will post more before I leave for the hospital...

Well it is almost 11pm. The contractions are really hard, but still anywhere from 5 minutes apart to 20 minutes apart. Man this hurts... :)

Well it's almost midnight. Jeff fell asleep really fast. I really want to sleep, but I can't.

Growing up Fast

2008-03-08T06:32:00.001+01:00

Well Gina's Post on Riley's new shoes made me think about how fast our kids are growing up. And I ran across this photo of Drew and Joe in our sink in the apartment on Signal St. Time has flown since those days. What happy memories we had there in that little apartment in Ojai. We love you Ojai people.

39 Weeks...

2008-03-07T00:16:00.000+01:00
Hello again... Another week and still 1 cm. I have nothing very new to report. The baby still sounds great and is measuring right on target. My Dr said if nothing has happened by next Thursday she would talk to me about induction. I really don't want to go that route unless the baby is in distress, so please pray with me that things get started soon. Thanks for all your support...

Our Poor Granny

2008-03-03T06:10:00.000+01:00

This is been a terrible six months for Granny. She has had about six surgeries and been in the hospital for a few blood sugar lows. Two of these happened this week. Last Thursday morning MaryLou found her passed out with a blood sugar level of 23, and again today she was found passed out with a blood sugar level of 23. Both times 911 was called and she was taken to the hospital. She has 'bounced back' amazingly from these experiences, but you wonder how much an 83 year old lady can take. She is in the hospital overnight for observation. Hopefully she will be released tomorrow. This weekend was a trial run of her staying at her house with a 24 hour care giver. I believe it went well despite the low this morning. I hope she enjoyed being home. It has been a LONG time since she has been home!

Still Waiting...

2008-02-29T18:20:00.000+01:00
Well a week has gone by. A week of walking and being fairly active, chasing around three children. And I am still one centimeter dilated. I am reminded that both God and this child of mine, cannot be put into a box. There are some times in life that we tend to think we have an idea of how something should go or might go. And these careful reminders of the fact that we are not in charge, are so valuable. For a split second I was disappointed that I was not making any 'progress'. But then I got excited. I am more excited to see how this unique experience will go. I am still 1.5 weeks before my due date. So this could still be a long wait!!! I'll keep you posted.

Rattle-N-Roll

2008-02-26T04:27:00.000+01:00

Check out Jeff's cousin Ryans' cool site for baby and other announcements. They are so unique and fun!!! The baby to the far right is Joe!!! What a cutie!!! Rattle-N-Roll

I am Amazed at God's Creation in Me

2008-02-25T18:13:00.000+01:00

Baby Frazee is Growing...

2008-02-19T21:18:00.000+01:00

Not knowing when your baby is coming is the hardest part of the end of pregnancy. The joy of feeling my little one squirm and twist and makes me so anxious to meet him or her. People can't believe sometimes that we don't know the sex of our baby. But I contend that that would only tell us the smallest of things about our child. Discovering who he or she will be, is one of the most thrilling parts of having a new child. The three children I have are all such different individuals, despite their sex. I'm excited to see who the next one will be.

Waiting for Petite...
37 Weeks...

Insomnia

2008-02-11T12:09:00.001+01:00
OK... I remember this now from previous pregnancies. Insomnia. I am sitting awake at 1:30 AM, staring at lights blinking outside my window. Then thinking about things I should do tomorrow. Then wondering why I am thinking at all as the clock strikes 2:30 AM. Just go to sleep I tell myself. Why doesn't that work? So finally I hop (that is really not the right term to use at the point in my pregnancy) out of bed and check email and get caught up on reading my friends blogs. How much am I going to regret this in the morning I think? But what can I do? I CAN'T sleep...

36 weeks and counting...

Just where is my stomach???

2008-01-29T07:59:00.001+01:00

OK... you get to that point in your pregnancy when you wonder, what is going on in there? Where are my intestines exactly, because things just don't feel right. And why in the world do I pee every time I cough? (Which has been way too often lately!) It is just crazy what our bodies go through, so I found this image to share with you all. This is where it all goes!!!

Tag... I'm it!!!

2008-01-26T07:16:00.000+01:00
This almost makes me miss middle school and all the fun and games of tag after Church. OK... so the things I love and hate, here goes...

I LOVE:
Rain... really I do, even after a week strait and it feels like our house is going to blow away. There is something about it that is so refreshing and magical.

Watching Harley get from place to place. She never just walks, but she picks up her feet and does the cutest little run/jog thing.

Listening to Drew come up with a new invention. He is so imaginative.

Watching Joe's quick little mind come up with responses to peoples questions. He just things differently than anyone I know.

Clean fresh sheets.

The smell of a newborn baby. (Well maybe a week old.)

Fresh flowers in a clean house!

Getting packages.

The comfort of love and family.

My husband who I miss dearly as I write this...

OK... I HATE:

Stepping on legos or match box cars in the dark!

Dishonesty...

Mean people

People that hurt my kids.

You were right Christine, the Hate list was pretty hard. I guess that is good.

The New Adventures of HEIDI

The Birth of Katherine Elizabeth

Driving in Mali...

Fear

One of these is not like the other ones...

School Time

Having a baby...

A Day in my Life...

Lovin' my boy

Update...

Mango anyone?

Ups and Downs

Birth Number 2

A Simple Pleasure

Crash course in Birthing

Nous avons tué un cochon aujourd'hui!!!

Heading out with my new moto...

My New Wheels...

He's Back

Goodbye Jeff

The Baptem...

True Confessions...

Making Mango Sauce

Transportation... a new look...

Adorable Retro Dish Towels

A Walking Scrapbook

Movie of our Journey to Mali

Testing new waters...

My boundaries

Diaper blow outs

Bienvenue

Jethro Isaac Frazee

Field Trip!!!

Consignment Sale in France

Ask and you shall receive...

Life is Good

Love to France...

Lessons from The Little Prince

Shopping in France

A New Year with New Challenges

Getting Settled

From Massy France

Sonlight

Last one... it's a good one... :)

Project #5 E-flirt.com

This is the 4th out of 5 of these...

Project #4Heart vs. Stomach

An amazing weekend...

Project #3

Project #3You da’ Man

Project #2

Project #2Back in the Day

Do Something He Enjoyed Before You Got Married

Your Project:

Project #1

Project #1

30 Minutes is All it Takes

Create Some Free Time When He Gets Home

Your Project:

bragin on my hubby

The Husband Project

61%

Rocky...

Sing, Norah Singh

The Promised Photos

Planting my Garden

Trois filles ont accepté Jesus Christ dans leur vie aujourd'hui.

The Dentist

Encouragement...

Holiday Disco

Enjoying the Midwest

Happy Halloween

Carving it Up

Noah William Kunkle

Family Photo

October...???

Birthday Water

Aim Lower, Think Smaller, Give Up, and Go Have a Cup of Coffee!

Swimmin'

Going Green

Project #5
E-flirt.com

Project #4
Heart vs. Stomach

Project #3
You da’ Man

Project #2
Back in the Day