Welcome Back to School!

The moment we thought would never come...is finally here! The enthusiasm wears off way to quickly unfortunately, but we all love the first days of school! Since I used to be an elementary teacher, I LOVE the first days of school. I love new school supplies, lists, writing names on everything, getting everything in order, dreaming up big dreams for the next year, playing fun games and doing special activities the first few days...but it's so anti-climactic to walk across the hall from my bedroom to "school." So I try to make up fun things, make signs, assign seats and buy a few little new special school supplies for the kids.

Pictures with the teacher every year are a must...this year's teacher is so awesome..."T" for teacher and "2" for 2nd grade! Annie was very careful to choose an awesome outfit and insisted that 2nd graders wear their hair down!

My pre-schooler, who is the size of his 2 year old cousin, but insists that he is Kindergarten like his big brother! It's gonna be a crazy year with this one! We're hoping to master the alphabet!

My sweet Kindergartener...he is so excited to start school with me and tells me every day he is thankful I am his teacher. I am sure I will get lots of apples from him this year! I hope I meet all his expectations and MORE!

Walking into the school room for the first time...

trying to figure out who sits where...they were all at the wrong places

Toby found his seat and his new pencil case

doing some writing...he said this was his favorite part today.

Annie also writing and this was her least favorite part today!

Jesse "reading" his alphabet book!

I tried to make a fun and healthy snack...the kids barely choked down the celery...which is actually a rare "treat" here...so i thought these little guys would be fun! I was wrong...we love unhealthy snacks WAY more! At least they looked cute! All in all we had a great first day...however I still feel a little crazy and not sure which end is up! Hoping to become a pro multi-tasker real soon!

On The Cat Walk

We try to spend a little individual "date" time with the kids every week. This week Annie and I decided to put on a modeling show! I have actually never done this. Even as a child...but I was excited to make it fun for Annie. So we gathered up clothes from Carol, Holly and Bevin.

We tried everything on first and planned it all out...then we invited everyone!

Outfit #1: Egyptian Girl

Ensemble #2: Viking Diva

#3: A Night On The Town

Princess of Greece

Bohemian Rhapsody

Island Princess

Meadow Frolicking

Ballroom Fabulous

We had such a great time and she loved every minute of it. Eager for attention and happy to be feeling beautiful and loved. This week while she was reading a book she heard God calling her name. She said she finally put down her book after he said her name a few times...she also said she heard him with her ears. So she waited and she heard him say, "I love you." She thought there should be more so she waited and waited, but that was all she heard, so she went back to reading. Later when she was telling me this story...I of course was so excited for her. How amazing if she could really grasp this deep down inside of her at age 7! May it be so! May it be sealed in her heart forever! May she feel his love for her and know he thinks she is ravishingly beautiful inside and out!

Summer Days Are Here To Stay For Awhile...

Water is a commodity for us...we "get" water every two days or so (emphasis on the or so...just when you start to count on it, they switch it up). We have running water, but once the tanks on our roof are empty... we no longer have running water! So we are very stingy with the water, because we have to water the garden, do dishes, laundry, and wash very dirty, sweaty bodies at the end of every day. This is an ABSOLUTE MUST in my book. You just simply can't go to bed dirty! But every once in awhile we fill up and water is still coming so we are able to play in it. It's pure joy to have cold water spraying all over you!

It's refreshing too!

But the best part is getting to run around with friends!

We love our friends!

I never miss an opportunity to take a close up of Lavine...she was lovin' the water too!

Summer has to come to an end for me though...it's not so much the heat as the complete lack of schedule. It must come to an end! Actually the kids are anxious for a little schedule and can't wait to crack into their new books. So I have to be ready first...how exactly do you teach kids at different levels??

Holly...a new team member...is an occupational therapist working with Aram to help strengthen his arm! So some schedule has started with them coming over 3 times a week to do exercises. He loves it! Can't wait to come over!

A local friend who knows the same father came to visit us! He stayed the night and he and Tim talked for hours about life and their father! It was so encouraging!

Kara...our new niece!

Welcome to the world sweet Kara...we love seeing that you are the little pinky-pie in the middle of all those boys! You are a princess and the perfect little cherry on top! Kara was born on August 17th at 1:12 pm weighing in at 7.6 pounds and 19.5 inches long! Momma, Becky, is an amazing champ talking to me on the phone through labor! I am so impressed and to be honest a little jealous! But mostly so excited that you have your little girl!

Momma with one of her older brothers, Jason! She came almost exactly in the middle of her brothers' birthdays! Impressive! Kara, we can't wait to meet you! In the meantime, let your brothers smother you with kisses from us!

more sunglasses

mostly she wanted to pull them apart and eat them

but seriously cute bald head in pink shades

Aram would not stand for it though...he had to have those pink sunglasses

so he put them on himself...love how they are on top of one ear and crooked

then they marched around the yard

he pretended to give Lavine a shower

and to his surprise and utter delight a few drops actually came out

so then he gave himself a shower...this being the only arm he can actually get above his head soon...still praying for that to be healed!

posing for me in jesse's hand-me-down shirt, that toby wore and his cousin Logan before him wore.

he loves seeing himself on my camera and he loved that annie was also in the background of this picture.

I wear my sunglasses

so since we got a digital slr...i thought i should actually learn how to use it...so i found this awesome website (well by i found, i actually mean my cool friends who have cool cameras and take cool pictures found this website and they told me about it...but whatever) you can see the i heart faces website here. this website does a weekly photo challenge. this week's challenge...sunglasses. so i stuck annie's sunglasses on Lavine, since she visits us every day from her sad home without a Daddy now. She needs lots of pictures to know how beautiful she is...even though her mom shaved her head!

A visit

Don't be frightened...that's not his hand. well actually there is a little cause to be weirded out by this picture, that's why i took it after all and why i am posting it. this little boy is only 5 months old and he is chewing on a bone...a chicken foot bone! seriously shocking! he kept gagging himself too...wasn't helping me enjoy the food.

the men...sitting, drinking tea and chatting it up!

the women doing all the hard work...Sirwa making tea, Carol feeding the baby (and getting pooped on...but that's her story...i just wish i had a picture of her face after he pooped on her)

the kids watching some bizarre indian/chinese show dubbed in kurdish. seriously weird...but apparently quite entertaining. i love going on visits for a couple of reasons 1. i don't have to cook. 2. i don't have to clean up 3. they really seem to enjoy hosting us. but in general i don't feel like they are a great way to connect with the women. they just have to work so hard, they have no time to really talk. I am still looking for good ways into their hearts.

it's good to be home

this is why it's good to be home...those three houses hold the most precious faces, lives and hearts i know. i love them all so much and am jealous for them to know Jesus...this is what i see every time i look out my front windows. these are the homes i am in all the time and these are the people that come to my door to tell me water is coming, power is on, or if they need some medical help, like today they needed help with a diaper rash. i love it.

oh my beautiful Leila...the one who got married last july...but she comes back regularly to visit for a week or so. she makes me laugh and her beauty is exquisite.

the many faces of aram

nice.

little dufus.

remember Lavine?? something's different right?? yeah...that would be NO HAIR!! I think a lot of other cultures do this, but around age 1 they shave their little girls bald in hopes their hair will grow back thicker and more beautiful. meanwhile they have a bald head for a while. but she is so beautiful...even without hair, her little eyes pop! This has been my kids' favorite book over the years and she seems to love it too.

see...it is so good to be HOME...who else can sit out in the evenings with all their neighbors and get a community back rub??

my new favorite picture...Aram and Lavine...little baldies, dirty and tattered and sitting in a pile of rocks.

there is something about this picture that i really love...no smiles...but their eyes...maybe it's the contrast or something. but i love it.

trying out a new feature on skype with mimi...she can read a book live to them and they can see all the pictures through this other website that she links to her skype. they loved it.

Lavine again...so stoic.

but she will always smile for my kids...i think Toby is behind me in the picture. i learned a new feature on my camera...how to use the AV mode and make the background blurry. i really love it.