Daddy and Kaden working hard, notice Kadens lovely working attire, he either is seen in his cowboy boots or his fireman work boots, as if he doesn't have any other shoes, such a boy!
Doug getting the framing down for the wardrobes in our garage.
The fam helping daddy finishe the project. Doug and Pastor Stan.
Doug has finished these wardrobes/closets for the orphan homes. He was asked by a fellow missionary, Stan Drew to put some wardrobes together for one of our churches that has taken in and supports about 15+ boys. We did the final touches on Saturday and the kids had a blast helping daddy and playing out in the dirt with some of the boys. We have slowed down on some of the kids crusades for now as Doug cannot do it all by himself and me and my belly and back are counting down the weeks til Carsten arrives. We are doing a whole lot with the International Church here as the pastor here is on furlough and Doug was asked to be one of the interim pastors. So that is keeping Doug pretty busy with also teaching at the bible college and doing smaller projects here and there. 
Motshane project
September (the rest of the month)
I cannot believe that it is already the first of October! The kids and I decorated for harvest yesterday, as we head into summer here. The seasons are opposite here but I still decorate as if we were home. 
Kaden turned three on the 21st and boy is he excited. We have a little rule that the kids cannot chew gum until they are three. He got a batman outfit for his birthday and some other cool things and had his “Super Hero” birthday party this last weekend. About 10 of his little friends came dressed us as some sort of super hero, we even had the “Alpha and Omega” here!!
We are about 9 weeks or so away from the birth of #3 Baby Balocious, as Kaden calls him. We actually have decided on a name though – Carsten (anointed) Timothy (after my dad meaning to honor God) Myers.
My friend Tracey (we are due on the same day, obviously my 3rd, her 1st, right???)
The kids are pretty cute about the baby, they talk to him and kiss my tummy every night. Kylea does the most talking to him, she is so curious and proud that she was a big part of our decision on the final choosing of the name. She is wondering if this baby is going to come out brown since we live in Africa where most of the babies are brown!! I think I set her straight on that one. Pregnancy is going well I feel huge and am still having trouble with vein issues in my legs ahhhhhhh!
Doug is busy lately doing my “honey do list”, as he informs me I must be nesting! Anyways, he is helping to build wardrobes (closets) for seven orphan homes for one of our churches, so he is either playing “Bob the Builder” or “Tim the Tool Man” either way he is pretty handy and super busy with some of the work projects going on here. Good thing he is so handy with all of this stuff, thanks dad Myers!!
September 2006 (so far)
Our trip to Jo’burg: We took James back to Joburg and decided to stay a couple of extra days since Monday was the Reed Dance, where annually the King takes another wife, and Wednesday was Independence day here. So we took some of our good friends, Charles and Kristen with us and went for a mini get away after a long winter (summer in USA). We got there Monday, and I had another baby dr. apt. and all it well, he is right on target for Dec. 15, so we will see. The only troubles that I am having are my legs, luckily my mom was able to send out a pair of surgical support hose with 20-30 compression, boy are those fun getting on. Let’s just say it took Doug and I and about 10 minutes to get them on. . . .
We took James to the airport and sent him back to the states, the kids were pretty bummed as they love having family here and we have been so blessed our first term having so much family come out for some reason or another. So Tuesday we shopped and ate and relaxed, my kind of fun, sometimes you forget what that is like and with South Africa having major malls just like home you almost forget you are in Africa! Wed. we of course did some more shopping and found a nice rug to go under my dining room table since my chairs are getting destroyed from the tile (yeah)! We then proceeded on to take the church projector in to some place we had three different directions to, after making a few wrong turns and finding the unmarked building we realized it was almost 4 o’clock. We decided to stay and extra night since South Africa is not the safest of places to be esp. in the dark. So we found this new shopping center and ate at this amazing new restaurant called Cappuccinos, it was wood fired pizza and it was great. We felt like we were in America. Across the way was this Espresso restaurant places where they had this section for kids to roll out dough and they cooked the cookies for them.
We headed back to our hotel and came across a lady who had just been robbed. We saw this man running across the street and then another one following him. As we looked where they were coming from we saw a lady standing outside of her car with glass everywhere. Doug and Charles jumped out and I got in the drivers seat and locked the doors. They sent us to the hotel (which was across the street) to call the police. Come to find out this man was pretending like he was begging and came up to the car, saw the ladies purse on her lap, busted the window, grabbed her purse and ran. Her husband got out and ran after the man. There were 2-3 other guys on different corners of the street that were coming towards her until Doug and Charles got out to help her. These other guys then backed of and a car came up and at least one of them got in and drove off, so who knows what else could have happened. There is a lot of car theft in Africa. So all is well now, the husband somehow retrieved the purse and they left. Crazy world we live in. We headed back to Swaziland and had the worst boarder experience so far, oh well, life goes on!
August 2006
August,
James our nephew arrived and then the team from Yakima, WA followed the next day. It is always exciting to have teams, a lot of work, but fun! My kids especially love it. It started of snowing in Jo’burg the day before the team arrived, we were all shocked, just flurries though. The team arrived to one of the worst storms we have had in Swaziland in a long time. Lights and water were out everywhere and trees and power lines down all over. We were without power and water for about 3 days and the team for the first 5 days as they were up north. It was quite the welcome to Africa. Kaden had a blast with this team as it was the first kids crusade he got to be a part of. The team left and James stayed another three weeks.
Beth Moore, an excellent bible study writer, speaker, etc. came to South Africa! So of course that called for a road trip with my Wednesday morning bible study group. All 10 of us crammed into two cars, luggage and all and made the 4+ hr. treck to Jo’burg to hear our current bible study teacher. She was amazing and even invited our group in back afterwards to chat and take pics.
Still no word on our car, we have to get the approval from speed the light before we can do anything, needing a new engine is quite expensive! We are so bummed as we hate having this car trouble and having to depend on speed the light to depend on it, we are such believers in speed the light since being youth pastor’s previous to coming here. (speed the light is the offerings that come from AG churches from youth ministries to help missionaries get vehicles).
July 2006
July,
The month started off with us having a little 4th of July party here at the house. We had just a few friends over and Doug went down to one of the three little Chinese shops and bought some fireworks. It just doesn’t feel right though all bundled up freezing outside watching fireworks, since we are in the winter here.
Kaden caught a nasty virus going around called rotavirus spiking a temp and then followed by throwing up with runny tummy. Followed by Kylea who spiked an even greater temp of 105.1, which was a little scary, but we got it down and the kids seem better. Now poor Doug is battling a soar throat and sickness of some sort. Lord, protect me and the baby.
I don’t ever remember being sooooo teary with the other pregnancies, but man this one I am having about one day a week where all I can do is cry. I feel so homesick and stuff. I think we had such a great time with Doug’s parents and them leaving, teams coming knowing June-August are our busiest times and then we have summer which seems sick and wrong with all of the seasons and holidays at home. October through December have to be the hardest months for missionaries.
My cousin (one out of the five of us girls all on one side who are prego and due before the end of the year) emailed the other day and informed us she is also having a boy. That now makes three boys so far. Kylea piped up and said "you know what daddy I think that God just ran out of girl parts and now he is just into makin' boys" hahaha. She was a little disappointed that it looks like we also are having a boy; she wanted a sis so bad. I have been sorting through clothes of the stuff I brought here from the kids and looking at Kylea’s clothes made me a little sad thinking we probably will not have another girl to dress up in these cute clothes, I felt like I was mourning, oh these hormones gotta love them.
20th- I went to check on the kids during their nap before getting on the computer to get some things done and 20 min. later Agnus, the lady who helps in our home came to me to ask where Kaden was and if I had seen the big mess in the bathroom. I got up headed for the bathroom to find red cinnamon toothpaste and blue kids toothpaste bottles on the floor and smeared into the carpet. I noticed our bedroom door was closed so as I opened it I was my patriotic son standing there in just a shirt and a toothpaste body mask, red from feet to knees and blue from knees to waist and white on his face.
25th- today reminded me of a children’s book I used to read to my first graders, "Alexander’s horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day!! Obviously not that bad but frustrating enough!
Our car was knocking so we went to the petrol (gas) station to get the oil checked and it barely registered so they put 3- 500 ml cans in of oil. I go to get a muffin at the coffee shop and they are out, at breakfast time and I am prego and hungry. I go to leave while Doug has his meeting and am blocked in cuz someone parked right behind me AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHh! We get home in time to lay down for 30 min. then to wake up pack up the kids and go to Motjane and pick up the intern and take him all the way to Bulembu, where we also have a meeting and dinner plans. On the way up the mtn (malagwan) to the main city Mbabane our car starts knocking louder and louder and then it sounds as if something in the engine was severely wrong. So we make it to the top of the hill and drive it into a garage and they check the oil and the reader shows it is dry!! So we put 4 more 500ml cans in and get it to a different garage. They told us it would need to be towed to South Africa, something is very wrong with it!! Not to mention we are to go to Johannesburg Monday to pick up our nephew and a team and a baby dr. appt which is a 4 hrs drive. So we have borrowed another missionaries car til Thurs. then we have to figure something else out. Needless to say we did not make it to Bulembu or to pick up the intern, thank the Lord Pete was here to help us and take us home and get the intern to Bulembu.
Oh let me back up before I get too far. After waking from my little nap I went to wake kaden only to find he was not in his bed asleep like he should have been. I noticed the bathroom door was closed and someone was trying to get out. So I opened the door to find my little cherub buck naked standing on the emptied out garbage can trying to open the door. He was proclaiming to me that he went wee wee and also put paper down the toilet. Then he got this little grin and said “I went wee wee in my shoe too!!" I said what, show me. So still buck, he proudly walked across the hall into his room and picked up his light up fire truck tennis shoe and showed me he weed in it and boy did he. AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHhh. I think God has a major sense of humor on me right now knowing I have another boy on the way!! I don’t relate to this at all as Doug says it is totally normal for all the "exploring " this boy does. By the way after washing the shoes a few time and febreezing (which I brought from the states) them we ended up giving them away, the smell was way too bad.
We ended the month with a little Christmas in July party, since it was the middle of winter and the closest feeling to Christmas we get around these parts!
June 2006
Kaden was diagnosed with bronchial pneumonia on Friday before leaving for Jo’burg and was given some meds to take along with a nebulizer machine. We picked up Gordon and Teri on Sunday morning and Monday had my baby dr. appt. We headed back to Swaziland and Tuesday took Kaden back in for a follow up. I was shocked when she told us he wasn’t doing better and we needed to head to Nelspruit, South Africa to have him looked at by a specialist pediatrician and most likely admitted. She told us to be prepared to stay at least three nights. We were not able to get into a specialist til Thursday though. So, Thursday we headed up to Nelspruit (2.5 hr. drive) and left Kylea and Grandpa and Grammi behind, not knowing if we were coming right back that night or staying. The dr. checked him out, sent us for x-rays and told us he wanted to admit him. I began to cry, I was so sure that he was getting better. Doug headed downstairs to fill out the paper work while they took me to the children’s ward and began giving him inhalations and an IV, and taking blood. My little baby was screaming and crying and I was trying so hard to be strong and not to do the same, but I gave in. Kaden looked over at me and asked “mommy, why are you so sad?” in between his sobbing. He had an IV hooked to his hand, physiotherapy twice a day, inhalations three times a day and meds. We had some amazing friends who drove from Swaziland just to see us and Kaden, what a blessing being so far away from home.
Sunday came and we were told we would be able to go home, but the dr. wanted more x-rays first. After he looked at the pics he was not completely happy with what he saw. Needless to say he told us we would have to stay at least until Tuesday. I was once again devastated and we began texting some of our friends to see if anyone was coming up so we could get Kylea and grandpa and grammi up with us, which we did. Tuesday came rolling around and we were discharged and headed home.
We had a blast with Doug’s parents going on dates and playing around. Every weekend had been filled with some sort of children’s ministry too. Doug has been busy doing Children’s teacher training for Sunday schools and kids clubs and we had a two man team come in for a set up trip in that time too.
We had planned a trip to the Drakensburg Mountains in South Africa for the 19-23 of the month. Well both kids this time were sick. We decided to postpone our trip and see the dr. once again and she said kaden had a pretty bad ear infection and bronchitis again and Kylea had the same but not so bad. So we cancelled our trip and stayed warm (as it is winter here) and hung low for a few days. We found a couple of new places we had not yet been, we went to the cultural village and hiked back into the water fall area, it was nice to get out.
The 27th we headed back to Jo’burg to take back Gordon and Teri, but first had my first scan (ultrasound). She informed us I was 16 weeks instead of 15, which is always good news and that moved my due date from the 21st of December to the 15th, which was good too, farther away from Christmas. We brought the whole family in for the viewing of the baby and boy was the baby active!! She took a pic and stopped for a view to ask us if we wanted to know what it was, we all agreed and she informed us that she was pretty sure it was a boy. Well Kylea did not like that. She began to question the dr. and ask how she knew, if she was sure, and that it could still be a girl, the dr. could be wrong. But we all confirmed we saw some parts of him that definitely made him a boy. Kylea began to fight back the tears as she backed out of the room silently, we turned around to see her half way out the door still looking at the screen with big tears in her eyes. Doug went over there and took her out and talked with her about how God knows exactly what our family needs. She is doing much better with it, but still argues it could be a girl!
April & May 2006
April 2006
“Round 3” as of April 17th we found out that we are adding to the Myers tribe!! We are so excited to have another addition to our family. I know some people think that I am crazy, we already have one of each and we are in Africa, so far away from home. Things are more normal here than some may think and we are 4 hrs away from Jo’burg, South Africa if we want to deliver there.
It was exciting today to see that the school was donated two water tanks for the children to drink and for making their food, as there have been many days they barely had enough clean water to cook with. The kids can now wash their hands before eating too, which is a good thing!! I had been an interesting task teaching this group of teachers. I went to assess them, yes the teacher and found out that two of them know almost all the letters except about 2-3 letter and sounds they missed about 7 sounds each. So, it is like I am teaching first grade all over again. God must have a sense of humor since I have been missing desperately teaching in the states where I have all the resources possible at my disposal, and now I am teaching some of those same basic first grade skills with no resources.
The end of April to mid May is holiday or term break. The schools here run Jan. to Dec. and consist of three terms separated by about a three week break. So we got with some of our missionary friends and headed south to the beach, Durban. It was so nice to go down and see the ocean, especially with both Doug and I growing up in the northwest area around water all the time. We had a blast jumping waves in the Indian Ocean, making sand castles, digging for crabs and gathering shells and just relaxing as a family.
Our friend Lynette who was saved in our living room a couple of weeks ago went to Mozambique for holiday and we found out that her 5 year old son got Malaria and went through some pretty bad stuff at the hospital. He had three or four of the strands possible and was admitted and the nurse put all his IV down him in less than half of the time it was supposed to be done, etc. We phoned her and asked her if we could come and pray with her and Keenan. We went by the store and got him a little toy and some sweets and headed to Manzini. We prayed with them and two days later got a call from Lynette saying his Malaria has been cleared!! So cool!
May 2006
Kaden is so cute with the baby, he is telling everyone he has a baby in his tummy! And when we are cuddling or he is laying or sitting on me he is very sensitive that he is not hurting the baby, cuz it could cry. Kylea, is going to be such a great help she is putting her votes in for a sister, of course. Who knows with how sick I have been! Kylea I was very sick that first trimester, Kaden just nauseous, who knows?! This one I have been very sick multiple times daily and nauseous pretty much all day every day, fun, fun! Thank goodness for a husband who is not afraid to help, esp. in the kitchen!
We were driving somewhere and Kaden was doing something that surprised Doug and I and Doug looked back at him and said “you little smarty pants”! Kaden replied with “I am not a farty pants, daddy, you’re a farty pants” haha! He had trouble with his s sounds in some words and they generally come out as f’s. Oh, he is all boy!! Kylea on the other hand is all girl, she loves to dress up and put on make-up and play mommy. She is getting so grown up too, I look at her to expect to see my little pixie at 18 months old with two little piggie tails sticking out the sides of her head with her big blue eyes. She loves going to school an
d is learning her letters and picking up spelling. She can of course spell her name, but her first word to spell was MOMMY!! Ha after saying daddy first I finally get my name in there in the spelling hall of fame!! I will never forget on mothers day when she was 1yr. and at church they had a mom video of a bunch of the kids in the church and at the very end they had her standing there and asked her to say mommy and she tilted her little blond head and batted her big blue eyes and said “dada”, it was cute!
This is a month of celebration, Doug turned 31, it was Mothers day and we celebrate 8 years of marriage on the 30th of the month!! Party, party, party!
We are gearing up for Doug’s parents to come “Grandpa & Grammi”. We actually have not seen them since we were in the states and Kaden was four months old. They have been in Indonesia and are coming to see us, the kids cannot wait.
Ministry wise, I am still doing my Wednesday morning bible study with a group of about 9-10ish ladies, we just finished a book by Joanna Weaver called “Having a Mary heart in a Martha World”, incredible book. I also just started another bible study in my home for a couple of new Christians. There were four of us this last Sat. and am excited to see it grow. It was amazing to sit and begin to disciple these ladies and have God confirm his abilities in me. I am seeing strengths that I never knew I had, and a lot that I am still lacking!!
God has begun to open some serious doors with our hearts desire and the vision that he give us before coming here. We are praying for direction and continued favor with the people.
We headed to Jo’burg to pick up Doug’s parents and have my first baby dr. visit.
March 2006
“The month of potty
training!” Now that Kaden is officially 2 ½ and has an interest in going on the potty we have been slowly going for it. Doug got tired of consistently having accidents so he picked up the potty training in a day book, and did it with Kaden. It was so funny to watch Doug get a doll put a sponge in her making her go potty. The funny thing is it worked, for now. We are still having some accidents, but he is a big boy. You will hear him yelling “I’m a big boy” over and over again when he has to go as he is running for the bathroom!
I am still going down south to one of the rural areas Phuzumoya (poo-za-moy-ya) every Tuesday. I has been a challenge doing so as the teachers themselves do not know English very well. I have to have a translator with me at all times. Yet we are plugging away.
Doug had the opportunity to preach at the International church here on Sunday and it was phenomenal! One of the queen’s who often attends was there, which was pretty cool too. He preached on intimacy with God and it was very powerful. The next day one of my girl friends called and said she had brought a friend to church and she wanted to accept Christ in her life, but wanted to talk to Pastor Doug first. They both came over and had a nice long chat with Doug and I and right there in our living room she knelt down and accepted Christ into her life!! I have been with others accepting Christ, but this was different God was so pursuing Lynette it was amazing and she was soooo incredibly passionate about it. God is faithful.
In my devotions I came across something that came pretty profound to me:
In “My Beloved Disciple” by Beth Moore:
“have you ever exclaimed in exasperation, “God never lets me get away with anything?” have you ever noticed to, God seems particularly jealous with you? Then he refuses to allow you to do mindless and meaningless actgivities that He seems to toleralte in other believers? **He does so because you have proved to be a cooperative, fruit bearing child. He knows that you are his prime branch through whom He can be glorified.” Wow that one just hit me upside the head. To be completely honest this is how I sometimes feel when I am throwing my two year old tantrum “why me, why so far away, in Africa? Why not someone else? Why can’t I be at home where everything is normal?” then God reminds me, it is not about little me, there is more out there, I have found favor in God’s sight. As my pastors wife say’s “I am his favorite daughter!”
February 2006
February 2006
10th - I went with Glenda down south to what is referred to as the “bush”. I always imagined the bush more like a jungle or literally in the bushes. This is just the most rural part of the country, and extremely poor. We went down to meet with the pastor and community and leaders to present our heart for the community and wanting to help by training some of the teachers of the informal schools there. There are so many kids here uneducated due to lack of money. So many kids are orphaned that the oldest child is left to fend for the rest of the kids left behind. It is said that approx. 20% of home are lead by children 13 yrs. and younger. This community has come together and tried to put a school together. They were first literally meeting under a tree and when the rains came the community came together and put up a stick and mud hut for them to meet in. The are fed two meals (usually a pourage of some sort) and educated by volunteers in the community, young adults with very little education themselves no higher than a seventh grade education at the most, no teaching education whatsoever. So my job is to work with these teacher once a week just training them, giving them ideas or what ever I can help with. It has been a total challenge for me going from teaching in the states with all the curriculum, paper, copiers, art supplies, markers, desks, etc. to nothing here. They have one med. sized chalk board to teach with and some random old already-used donated book from a local school (which do not seem to be too helpful), no desks some paper and pencils that have been donated. Wow I have gotten off subject, well we had this meeting with the community and leaders completely African outside this hut on the ground in the dirt. We were surprised that the community was so open to us and gave us pretty much free reign with the school and training teachers. During the meeting some ladies started screaming and we turned around to this homestead directly behind us and a man was beating his wife with a stick. First on the back of the head then her face and more, I will spare you the details. The pastor and some of the men got the old man to stop and he claimed he left her at the pub and came home to eat and she walked in on him eating!? Crazy, and this meeting was at 10am. So the police were called and they actually came with in the hour, but did nothing because it was a domestic problem that needed to be taken care of on the property. No wonder there is so much abuse and violence, no one wants the responsibility of dealing with it or being held responsible. It all died down and the meeting ended well and we are now off and running with this community and their school. This afternoon my heart has been so extremly heavy over what happened down in the rural area today and for so many more reasons. We feel like God has been challenging us to step out in some areas, but doors seem to always close and I am not understanding, I know we always do not understand. I have such a passion to teach and do what I know I am good at, like I did in the states, yet we are here and really not doing what we thought we would be doing. Trying to work towards it, I don’t know!
19th - My baby girl turned 5 today!! I cannot believe it, time is flying by. We celebrated as a family today and will have a party next week.Tonight we had a spout of disobedience with Kylea. She reverted back to lying and telling me her brother did something and she actually did it. So we had a time of thinking and talking and discipline. Usually after discipline she pulls away from us. Now we are going through “Growing Kids God’s Way” and they touched on this in our last session so I tried it. I disciplined her and she pulled away and so I
told her I would let her be and think about what just happened for a few minutes and I would be back. As soon as I began to leave she started crying for me and said she just needed me. So I sat down and she crawled up in my lap and we talked about why we discipline, how much I love her, etc. She has been amazingly clingy tonight, loving and hugging, and smooching. I know some parents are so much against disciplining, but for us it seems that when we set boundries and are consistant with them it truly shows our kids how much we love them and are watching out for them.November-January journals (catching up)
Novmeber’s Journal 05
As I am back tracking as this month we lost our computer to an electrical storm! Trying to see if we can get anything off especially my pics from 05 since I have not currently backed up anything-YIKES.
We had a full month of trainings and crusades which kept us pretty busy. Doug was also wrapping up another semester teaching with Graduation weekend being the same weekend as Thanksgiving and my birthday!
Thanksgiving day we spent with a lot of our friend missionaries here that are also from the states. We went to Ben and Susan’s home and had a blast sitting outside in the sun and the kids swimming and the guys out there in the yard with shorts on playing football. It was different, but a totally relaxing day. We had turkey, ham and a rotissary chicken with all the great stuff we usually have at home. It was humerous to me that a couple of Swazi’s came by and we offered them a plate of food and the actually did not care for it.
I was shocked as I think it is the best meal on earth.
My big 30 was on the 25th of this month (the day after T-day) and Doug did a great job. Twila, Judy, and myself went to the Guava Galleries, which is a little luncheon place where you sit outside and look at all the beautiful hills and stuff. Then at lunch Twila handed me a note from Doug letting me know to be at the Royal Swazi for a massage, which was wonderful. Sunday evenings is our time with about five other missionary couples with kids around the same ages and currently are going through Growing Kids God’s Way. Well we were on our way to class and little by little I was finding out that there was a supprise pary waiting there for me. Doug had been working with Ben and Susan the whole weekend and more preparing a luau for me. The had brought in sand and completely covered the veranda with sand and palm trees people brought my favorite foods. It was the best bday party I have ever had! They had the Beach Boys music blasting and we played some games including the Limbo! I felt as if I were in high school or I should say college all over again ( as I had way more fun in life in college).
December’s journal 05
We had the best December ever! God has totally blessed us with the opportunity to go home for the holidays, thanks to our Dad’s and Mom’s and the IRS, God supplies in mysterious ways sometimes!! We went home the 6th of December and hit the ground freezing and running. Going from 
100+ degree weather here to low 30’s the day we came it was a shock to our systems. After getting our stuff and getting through customs we were off to the Olive Garden (our favorite). It was so nice to be with our family and be cold. The next few days we spent catching up on sleep and of course hitting Starbucks daily!! We were blessed by my “shopping” mother with some early Christmas presents of winter clothes, as we were not completely prepared for it being this cold. We arrived on a Wednesday and that Friday we spent the afternoon and evening in Seattle getting Santa pictures, and building some great memories. We spent that night with my brother and sis in law in their incredible new home, which I honestly was a bit jealous. Completely happy for them, but knowing in my heart they were living my idealistic dream. Saturday we got up and headed home not knowing my mom had planned surprise party for me to celebrate my thridieth. The house was full of family and friends and I was shocked. My parents gave me a silver necklace with one of my mom’s orrigional wedding diamonds in it. It was such a nice day and a total blessing as people brought us gift cards galore (that helped with our Starbuck’s addiction as we never had to pay for a coffee once!) Sunday, mom took Kylea and I to the Nutcracker in seattle which was so much fun, especially as my daughter’s eyes light up watching the ballerina’s and knowing the story. That next week we spent the week in Oregon with Genese, Doug’s sister and friends and family. We had a blast playing going on walks to the park, eating and just having fun. We came home with a fright as we got a call on our way back to my parents that my mom was being taken to the hospital by ambulience. She was having an irregular heart beat and her heart beat was increadibly fast. She was in and out of the hospital through Thursday which actually made for a nice and relaxing Christmas. We spent Christmas eve having a brunch followed by opening presents and playing games and having some quality family time. Christmas day we got up to see what Santa had brought us and then headed up to church. We came back to mom and dad’s to have a nice Christmas dinner with all the fixings.
Kylea had her first sleep over besides being with family. She has a little friend from home that has written her faithfully and we had picnic with them and the girls were having so much fun that Michelle asked me if Kylea wanted to sleep over with Megan, it was great and the girls are much more connected now, yeah!!
As is family tradition we went up to Leavenworth, WA up in the mountains for three wonderful nights with family. We were blessed with lots of snow the second day we were there. Kaden and Kylea could not get enough and Papa (my dad) had a blast playing right along with them. One time while sledding my dad went to go down with Kaden and he slipped out from under him and Kaden ended up going down on his own, well that was the end of going with others. Kaden was a little dare devil going down himself, while Kylea got tired of waiting for a sled and used her body as a sled and just ran and slid down the whole hill in her full bodied snow suit. And of course mom and I had a blast shopping and “just looking” at all of the cute little shops.We came home New Year’s Eve in time to help unload the car and pack and Doug and I took off for two night with just us while the kids had some quality time with Nana and Papa. We went to some friends that we used to be on staff with and played games and ate til after 2am. Had not been a while since doing that.
January’s Journal 2006
New Years Day we met up with our best buddies Kendra and Jeremy (with no children) in Seattle. We had such a blast hanging out and just having fun. We ate at one of my new favorite restaurants PF Chang’s and of course had our Starbuck’s and then played games and ran stairs (hahaha). We had such a blast hanging out and not worrying about anyone but ourselves, we felt like we were back in college all over again.
After many trips to Target, Costco and the mall we headed home on the 9th. We left Seattle and arrived in London 9 ½ hrs later. Exhausted and waiting for a 5+ hr. layover. As we went to check in the guy took our tickets and informed us that we were not on that flight, but the one that left two hrs. later, AAHHHHHHHH! So make that 5+ hr. layover to almost 8hrs. We were glad to get to South Africa with only a 4.5 hr. drive home.
It took quite a while on this end to get adjusted, esp. for me for some reason.
24th- Kylea started back to preschool with a different teacher, which she is very partial to her teacher from last year.
29th-I am staying home from church with Kaden as I think he may have chicken pox. It has been an interesting day to put it. Doug captured and drowned a mouse this morning in the house! Kylea has told a couple of lies in the last day or two, and now Kaden may have chicken pox. I feel so down, I think coming off of the high of being home has done it too me. I go to the grocery store and find myself completely frustrated that they do not have what I need and a lot of the shelves are bare especially after coming from shelves of food in the US that were overflowing with food. Oh yeah, and the other day we were swimming I think Wednesday or so and Kaden was sitting on the steps and I did not notice he took his water wings off and I was talking to Doug and watching Kylea and I turned to glance at Kaden and he was in the pool frolicking to stay above water, I paniced sp??. So my son could have drowned thank the Lord he did not. He freaked out pretty bad, but Doug got him back in the water to make sure he would be ok. Worst mom award here for the week!!
30th-So I think that Kaden actually has a case of hand, foot, mouth but still watching him as his blisters are pretty bad. I think motherhood should be only given if you have some sort of a nursing background too.
