Give1Save1

A friend just introduced me to this great blog called Give1Save1. It's a community of ladies who are helping orphans find families by encouraging their readers to give $1 every Monday to the "family of the week." Each week, the feature a family by showing their adoption journey video and ask their readers to give at least a dollar towards this family's adoption expenses. I think this is such an awesome idea and for those of you like me, who hate asking for money, it's not much to ask. We're going to make our own adoption video soon. Kind of like a "waiting for you" video that one day our child(ren) will cherish. They'll get to see a glimpse of the planning, waiting, hoping, trusting, and anticipation that makes up the adoption process. They'll also get to see how loved they are, even before we met. Hopefully we'll get to be one of the featured families on Give1Save1, but if not, the video will still be worth making. I want to do a really good job on it, so it might take a while :) But in the meantime, I want to encourage everyone who has a heart to help orphans, to check out Give1Save1 and see how your $1 a week can change so many lives! You can help total strangers grow their family through adoption, help give a needy child a family who loves them, all for the cost of a Coke a week! Well, even less if you're talking a Sonic coke! But anyways...

I know even I, who am in the middle of trying to fund an international adoption, can afford to give $1 every Monday to help someone else fund their adoption. It's a beautiful and easy thing to do that not only gives you joy as the giver, but shows love and support to complete strangers. That's the body of Christ loving each other!

Absent blogger

I am really bad at getting in a good routine of blogging (and staying connected in general) and then completely falling off the face of the earth for a while. Thankfully my family knows this about me and doesn't get offended easily. The last month or more, I've been in full time language mode, trying to get ready for my language snapshot. I had it on Friday and am anxiously awaiting the results. In the meantime, Kit is on a little trip so I'm getting some long over due down time with the kids at home. I'm loving staying in my pj's all day, playing whatever they want to play, making crafts, cooking together, and basically not having to say "no" or "later" as much :) I SHOULD be getting back into the swing of homeschooling for Jackson, but with Christmas and a big vacation to Thailand on the near horizon, it's hard to get motivated. So I'm sure it will be procrastinated until January.

I've got lots of Advent ornaments to make with the kids and some home-decorating crafts in my brain that I've been holding off until after my snapshot. So I'm hoping to get a little of that done this week. It's therapeutic for me and the boys love to help. I also hope to take some photos of them, because I realized I haven't in over a month or so, which is too long for me! I did come across a few on my camera the other day that I haven't shared yet, so here they are in all their silliness and cuteness.

Jackson and puppy showing off his Thanksgiving turkey, "Zach"

Helping mommy in the kitchen

Hudson is always making us laugh

First Trick or Treating

I guess it took moving to India to have our first trick or treating experience! Some friends of ours organized a little party and trick or treating outing in their society and we crashed it, even though we don't live there. Jackson went as a super hero doctor, who later shed the doctor and was just a super hero when he saw Batman and Robin at the party! Hudson went as a chef, but refused to wear the cutest part, the hat, most of the time. We usually aren't fans of Halloween (my  husband is fully ANTI-Halloween!) But, I guess being so far from home, and the scary influences of Halloween, made us get in the spirit of dressing up and eating some candy! Two of my boys favorite activities any day of the year!

He wanted to be Super Tigger but since he gave me less then a day's notice on that, we settled for Super Dr. Jackson

Serious business-decorating our candy bags

That hat stayed on less then 10 seconds, but isn't he cute? He LOVES to help me in the kitchen.

The dad's volunteered to carve the pumpkins. Our pumpkins aren't so traditionally big and orange here, but they still work.

The dynamic trio! Can you believe they found these costumes here? Most people didn't know who Robin was. They would say "Oh Robin Hood!"

Checking out his candy stash.

Sound the Alarm! Jackson's 4!

We had a firestation/dalmation themed birthday party for Jackson this year. He picked the theme and my awesome sister sent some decoration supplies from America for us! It is hard to even get real balloons here :( So we used what we had to make it as cute as possible. It wasn't exactly the perfect little vintage-firestation theme, but Jackson was pleased and that's what matters. He was mostly proud of his Happy Birthday sign, b/c he helped me make it.

We had great fellowship with friends and neighbors, yummy snacks, entertainment with watching the kids play pin the tail on the Dalmation, and Jackson getting not one, but 3 remote control cars! That was what he wanted most for his birthday and he sure got his wish! We ended up taking the one we bought him back to the store (it didn't work :( ) and got a spiderman scooter instead. He had a blast and we all took a good long nap when it was over.

I didn't take many pictures but here are a few and a short video.

Jackson's Birthday Party Video

Hudson always loves an excuse to eat nothing but sweets!

This boy would NOT stay still for me to take his picture!

Our home-made decorations and strawberry-lemon cupcakes per Jackson's request.

Lot of friends and new toys--what more could he want?

I am the mom of a 4 year old!!!

I really am having a hard time believing Jackson is 4 now. That makes me feel old. He's no longer a baby, no longer a toddler, he is a full blown KID (who thinks he's a teenager!) Tonight before bed, I told him the story of how we became an "us" and it was good trip down memory lane. I promised to interview him tomorrow (like I did last year) and show him the pictures and video I have from the day he was born. Tomorrow we are surprising him with a day catered to him. Pumpkin banana pancakes, Skyping with family, a surprise trip to an awesome pool (which we'll stay as long as we can bear b/c it's expensive , and then probably pizza to follow. Happy birthday to my sweet boy! You were the answer to my heart felt prayers to be a mom and I'll love you forever and always! 

I decide which pictures to use, so I went a little crazy. But I'm a proud mom, so it's permissible.

He REALLY CAN write a 4, but he was attempting to write an upside down one.

Proud of his attempt and of turning 4!

4 year olds have big muscles!

And he insisted on wearing his tie that Nini sent him! 

Looking very smart!

Finally a real smile!

Mini Vacation #1

We took a road trip to a city a few hours away last week and tried to make a mini vacation out of it. The hotel we stayed at had a little play ground and pool, which the boys really enjoyed. It's been a few months since they were last able to swim, and it was definitely warm enough there to take a dip. The place had 4 HUGE slides (think water park type) but they clearly hadn't been used in a Long time and would have caused some major road rash if used now. Like a lot of things here, they were a great idea at one time, but not maintained anymore.

He still clings for dear life every time he's in water.

Having too much fun with daddy, their "dolphin"

This boy loves to hang

Jackson's kind of cheating in their contest to see who could hang the longest.

Best friends

Potty Training Diaries

Today we officially started potting training Hudson. I didn't have it planned out to do so, I just decided to go for it since he brought it up the day before all by himself. I figured that was "some" interest in doing it, so maybe he was ready. I sure am ready for it to be done, but haven't felt too motivated to get it started. So far, so good. He actually has done surprisingly better then I thought. He only had 3 "peep" accidents, as he calls them. He's still working on the correct terminology and all. I won't give more details because I know no one but "nana" cares to hear so I'll just share a few cute this he said and funny things he did. Yes, I totally bribed this child, as he is a candy addict and I don't feel badly about it at all. It was great motivation for him as he cares nothing about being a "big boy". (He's quite a momma's boy). Every time he succeeded he would growl, "I go poopy in da potty! yeah!" and when I cheered him on and said "good job I'm so proud of you" he'd say, "you're welcome mommy!" I was grateful so I guess that is an appropriate response. One of the funniest moments was when I found him in the kitchen with the fridge door open and he exclaimed "I need to go poo poo" but had already peed all inside the fridge! Thankfully it didn't get on any food :) I'll leave with that gross thought and spare you any more details. It is very precious to see your child go from 'being afraid of something' to 'proud of his own sucess'. I guess that's why it was deemed blog worthy, even if it was TMI for most people :) 

Showing off his new under roos! 

When he saw the pictures on my phone he said, "that's Jackson" he is right, they look a lot alike here. 

How you can help orphans in the DRC

Back in April, I shared in this post  about ways you can learn more about the DRC and specifically how you can help the 5 million orphans there. I shared particularly about an organization called Mercy's Mission and how through them, you can do a monthly sponsorship for an orphan, providing food, clothing, housing, education, etc. I was doing some reading on their website and the founder's blog yesterday and saw an amazing financial statistic. In the DRC, it only costs $6/month to educate a child. That's cheaper than a McDonald's value meal!

I know that sometimes I see the vast needs of the poor all around me (I only have to walk around the corner to see a slum) and I feel overwhelmed at where to begin and how God would have me respond with generosity and yet with wisdom. I want the gifts that I give, to be effective in helping people and not just giving a hand-out. From what I've seen living in S. Asia and am reading about in various books on helping the poor, investing in someone's education is a true hand-up rather than a hand-out. Without an education, children born into poverty have no hope of escaping the cycle that has trapped their family for generations. And part of the trap of poverty is that the poorest people in this world, without financial help, can not obtain a real education. I see children daily, as young as two, standing alone and half naked in the middle of a busy intersection begging for change. Do those parents or guardians love their kids less than I love mine? I don't know how they feel about it, but I can't imagine they do that to their own children out of anything but necessity of survival. Not only can they  not afford the fees and books/uniforms to send their kids to public school, but they can't afford to feed them without the whole family working together.

Now S. Asia has all sorts of complexities that factor into the majority living in poverty--like the Caste System of Hinduism. But DRC is one of the poorest countries in the world b/c of war, disease, political turmoil, genocide, and a bunch of other factors I'm forgetting. Unlike the democratic country I live in, which is progressing, DRC is light years behind the western world. They are "Third World" to a T. And the innocent ones suffering the most are the 5 million who have been orphaned by war, disease, and by loved ones trying to give their children a better future then they can provide.

So as we're seeking to adopt a child from DRC, my heart is still burdened for the rest who won't be adopted. What kind of future will they have? What hope do they have without their basic physical needs being met and without an education that provides opportunity? I'm challenged to do more and I know I can give up $6 a month to provide hope to a child. Can you?

To find out more, visit Mercy's Mission. You can even view photos of the precious children available for sponsorship or just make a one time donation.

Little Builders at Work

Posts like this are mainly for the grandparents and my own personal record of cute things the kids do. Someday, I want to get my blog printed into a book as a fun way of recording and remembering these years. So if pictures of two cute little boys is not what you're looking for, feel free to skip this and look out for the next post which will have more S. Asian specific adventures in it.

Our boys are in a "building" phase and our couch cushions are their materials of choice lately. Every day they transform them into something. A cave, a car, a land bridge, and whatever else they dream up. They amaze me with their creativity. They are still really, really, hooked on Narnia right now. So they are often playing King Peter, and King Edmund hiding in a cave or journeying over a land bridge. This day, they weren't wearing their normal costumes, but they did have some building fun.

Village Style

This past week, I got to take my first village trip. It was just me and a friend and we traveled by night train about 4 hours away to see a national friend who got married and moved away a few months back. I was really excited to see her, get a little break from our daily routine, and see some countryside and nature (so good for my heart!). It was a good experience that left me very grateful for the modern conveniences I have and all the blessings I often take for granted. It also gave me some more insite to the culture here and helped me get past some of my 'culture shock' issues.

My friend lives on a small farm outside of a small town (by S. Asian standards it is small but still lots of people). It's a 4 room house (2 bedrooms, kitchen, and hall/living room) (pretty big by village standards) and is home to 7+ people. They were all incredibly kind and welcoming to us. Every morning my friend rises early to start heating the water for each family member to take a bucket bath (thankfully they have a tiny room for this in the home rather then outside, which is the norm), and while doing this off and on for a couple hours, she makes breakfast and chia for everyone and then "tiffins" (a fresh hot meal, packed away for lunch) for those who are heading to work. We rose late everyday (which was awesome!) and by then we weren't in anyone's way and could get ourselves ready. The only challenging part of the trip, is the lack of toilets. 60% of the population here uses open-air toilets, or in other words, no toilet, they just find a plot of grass. It's a real problem here and one of the things I've taken for granted my whole life.

After those chores, my friend gets to work on sweeping the home and washes everyone's clothes from the day before by hand. I was glad I learned to do this as power outages happen a lot here and now I know what to do if I'm in a pinch. Washing machines are another HUGE luxury I've never thought much about before. I'm learning though, that even most my neighbors don't have one so it's extremely rare here.

We spent the rest of the day touring some local sites and visiting their extended family in two different villages. We probably visited 12 or more homes in those 3 days and at each one we had to at least have a cup of chai. Their chai is awesome b/c it's made without water, just strait from the cow-rich milk, tea, sugar and maybe some spices. It's great but rich so after a couple cups, I'm good for the day. But for good manners sake, we didn't refuse any. It's a necessity in hospitality here, to serve your guest a cup of chai. It's insulting to your host to say no. So we probably gained a few pounds on our trip as we were also offered tons of food the whole time, but it was all tasty and I didn't have to cook any of it :)

Here are a few pictures from the trip. This is a great time to be site-seeing as it is the end of rainy season and everything is green and fresh looking.

Growing up in S.Asia

I'm sure I'll have many more of these to come, but here are a few of the most obvious ways we know our children are growing up in S. Asia. They are constantly amusing us with these.

You know your child is growing up in A. Asia when:

He asks you, "mom, what is bacon?"

His pretend friend's name is "Omabad"

They often pinch each other's cheeks (and other babies) and say "Oh you're so cute, you're so cute!"

When playing pretend "shopping" they purchase their toys with Rupees.

They recognize Gandhi by his picture.

When no TP is available they try to use the spray nozzle next to the toilet all by themselves (and subsequently soak themselves from head to toe and the whole bathroom).

They can rip a pice of chapati off with just their right hand, and use it to eat their Dal and Rice. And they frequently ask,  "is this Indian food?" so they know whether they have permission to eat with their hands or not.

They frequently use terms like "mangy dog" and "ATCHA!" (means: All right!).

Their favorite mode of transport is a rickshaw.

When pretending to serve drinks it's usually "chai" they are serving.


Here's pic just b/c it's cute and he's the author of most of what's mentioned above.

A day at the zoo

Last weekend, we wanted to have a fun family outing before daddy left to go out of town again, so we headed to the zoo. It was a first for the boys and I and I was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful and trash-free the grounds were. The animals looked to have pretty nice housing as well. The boys enjoyed having some free space to run and play, but tired quickly. We walked the long way, not realizing that you had to buy a special ticket in advance to take the golf carts back. So it was a LONG walk back with two tired boys, but it gave mom and dad a good workout!

Don't worry, that's a fake giraffe in the background (not an underfed one)

Intently looking for the white tiger

Sweet boy!

Looking good in his red Lightning McQueen socks (his favorite accessory).

They were thrilled to have a big open space to run in (and mom was pleased to be in beautiful nature with no trash in sight!)

The boys were the most interesting exhibit of the day.