30 Jan 2017

Ruth-Michael, we were playing doctor the other day and I told you I had a headache. You asked me, "Has your Papa been telling you 'no' a lot of times?" Then you took my temperature and said I had a fever and should go home and tell my Papa to say 'yes' to everything I want and then I will be just fine. Last week on Friday you went with Papa to Mombasa to pick up our new puppy, Bruno. You were so incredibly excited to go on this trip with him. You were supposed to keep everything a secret but you couldn't. You said something to me about the new dog having to stay inside the house. Almost everyday at school you color a picture for me and give it to me when I pick you up. It is usually a picture that represents the phonetic sound you are learning. We often go to Jabreen after school to meet Papa there for lunch. You want to know what we are going to do for the rest of the day. You say, "tell me everything we are going to do today, mom."

19 January 2017

Abby-Jones, you and I get to spend a lot of time together in the mornings when Iddy and Ruth Michael are at school. You love to play Legos and play dough. You always want me to make a house for you, whether it is play dough or Legos or doing a puzzle. somehow in your mind anything can be made into a house. You also love to read books. We have taped up the mouse book so many times I think there isn't any space left without tape. You really love to laugh. You don't care that you have no idea what we are laughing about, you just join right in. You love to sing "When cows wake up in the morning" and it makes you giggle. I always say moo very slowly because I want you to say it first but now you just think it is supposed to be said like that. At night you say "Love you too Papa" a million times while Papa lays in bed with RM.

13 January 2017

Iddy, we have been reading together at night, and I really love it. We are reading the books called the Chronicles of Nick. I like it because the hero of the book really cares about other people and gets super angry when someone tries to put down or belittle someone else. This reminds me of you. Nick is also really close to his mom which I think is sweet, and I feel so close to you. You really care about other people's feelings. I love that about you. You always want to do the right thing. We were talking about that the other day and you said sometimes you wished that you weren't like that as much. I think one of your friends had asked you if you had ever had a beer. I tried to encourage you that when you are older you will never regret missing out on being a "rebellious teenager". I know because I was the same as you. Papa always talks about how much he loves that quality in you. The other day Ruth Michael was playing with one of her babies and you told me that when you were really little you had a red teddy bear that your aunt gave you. You said you liked it but you didn't love it. You said it didn't make you feel safe. You did say you played with it a lot until one of its eyes sunk in and then you thought it looked kind of scary.

9 January 2017

Ruth Michael, you and I are so alike. I am starting to see that more and more. Sometimes that makes it hard for us to get along, but I love you so fiercely and I can always feel your love for me, too. Often times, our similarities draw us together. You love to be just the family. You need breaks from too many people. You like things to be done a certain way and in the right way. You love to take care of your little sister, although she really knows how to pester you. Last night I went into your bedroom while you were sleeping and crawled into bed with you. I was overwhelmed with my love for you. I just pulled your body close to mine and kissed your face and stroked your arm. I prayed for God to be with you, to protect you. You are an excellent swimmer! So comfortable in the water. You got a new swimsuit yesterday and you were so excited you wanted to wear it to school (I didn't let you). You love to play by yourself with your little mouse, rabbit, and bear families, and you have a great imagination. You can be stubborn but for the most part you just want to do the right thing.

3 January 2017

AJ, you are just so much fun to be around. You love to say, "see goose!" which means, "silly goose!" Here are some other cute things you say: mesisin (medicine) wipsckit (lipstick) it feel nice in heya (when we go into the bathroom at Driftwood where there is a/c) kwokwet (chocolate) bimen (vitamine) bawberry (strawberry gum) Jumping is one of your favorite tricks and you do it often. You have now added a spin around move to it which you are super proud of. You still like to do a downward dog and then put one foot up in the air. You LOVE the water. You can pretty much swim, now, but only a short distance. You haven't figured out how to lift your head out of the water to breathe, yet. You are very feisty and tend to bully Ruth Michael, but you also love her so much and want to be around her all the time. You do everything she does and say everything she says. You are obsessed with gum, and you are great at going potty, but you have to go ALL THE TIME. I think it is your way of getting my attention when you need some time with me. I'll say, "are you finished?" And you say, "no, not yet!"

1 January 2016

Iddy, you are becoming more and more mature every single day. Sometimes you tell me stories about your life before we knew you and I treasure these memories away because I hate that I missed those years in your life. The other day you told us that you used to believe white people didn't die, only black people! All kids have funny beliefs like this, but I just want to know as much about your early life as possible because I didn't get to witness it firsthand. We were talking about new year's resolutions today and you said that you wanted to be better at skateboarding and learn more about making films. I think these are great goals, and I see you succeeding at anything you set your mind to. You have also really learned kite surfing very well, too. You have so many talents, and you love music. You got guitar hero for Christmas and have been playing quite a bit. You can now beat me every time at ping-pong, and Papa, too.