Monday, August 24, 2015

Mother Moments #10

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...
I believe this moment needs no explanation. The "three-nager" years have been rough for this little boundary pusher. Some days it takes every bit of grace and prayer to make it to bedtime. Often times I just want to giggle when I catch the things I end up saying to her:
"Don't ride your brother! He's not a horse!;
If Solomon wanted you to lick his face, he'd tell you so!;
Sweetheart, mommy can't walk while you are hiding under her skirt.;
Stop growling at your friend - she is scared of dinosaurs!"
I must be doing something right if I have to laugh at the things that come out of my mouth!

Monday, August 17, 2015

Motherhood Moments #9

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...
an impromptu Sunday school class. The kids were getting restless at church and since it is "summer break," Sunday school classes have not started back up. So we let all the kids play together outside this particular morning. Having many children close together in age truly is a blessing.

Friday, August 14, 2015

You Don't See That Everyday...

Here in the Congo, there are many days where one is a witness to something that just makes you scratch your head and ask yourself, "Did I really just see that?" I have compiled a small collection of photographs for your viewing pleasure so that you may catch a glimpse of the "not so normal" which is actually normal for here.

Photo #1
You are witnessing 7 pieces of machinery attempting to asphalt less than 50 yards of road. Obviously only one piece of equipment is being used but there are many non-workers standing in the way who are telling the workers how to do their jobs. In fact, we were just amazed that they were repairing the road. (It took us nearly 2 hours to through the traffic jam caused by this).

Photo #2
You are viewing a guy on a motorcycle who is wearing a thick, down ski jacket. What is wrong with that? It is 80 degrees outside and we are traveling about 15 mph.

Photo #3
A really neat bumper sticker that says "I am Born to WIN." Pretty ironic for a wrecked vehicle. This was in the junk yard/side of the road/empty parking space beside a few restaurants.

Photo #4
There is a man (on the left with a brown shirt) jumping off the back of this vehicle which he was riding. There is a kid (in the middle with a black shirt) jumping on the vehicle for fun (barefooted). And there is a man with roller blades holding on. This is the first guy I have ever seen here with roller blades and he only rides down this strip of road. This was also the only time I saw him "hitch a ride." But he is wearing a helmet, so score 1 for the roller skater!

Photo #5
You are looking at a stack of ice blocks. The building on the right is a "quincaillerie" (hardware store) and the building on the left is a "sec et nettoyer" (dry & wash/dry-cleaners). I am not sure why there is a stack of ice blocks outside of those buildings especially sitting on top of plywood which is covering a drainage ditch.

We have learned to not ask why (we do find ourselves saying "whhhaaaaaaaaaaat???" quite frequently) and just sit back and muse over our surroundings. 

Monday, August 10, 2015

Motherhood Moments #8

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...
A trip to the grocery store can turn into an episode of "Fear Factor." Our little girl's expression is one of sheer joy because the electricity just came back on! Nothing like grocery shopping in the dark to make your toddler want to sit securely in the cart so she can feel encompassed. Brother is safely strapped to my back in the carrier. Luckily I try not to leave the house without my phone, which has a flashlight.

Friday, August 7, 2015

Toddler vs. Puppy

Kevin and I had a puppy once, Cessna. She was definitely a rascal and a handful. I told Kevin that I never wanted a puppy again, they were too much trouble! I did not like potty training or picking up after their little messes. I would prefer a trained dog. Yesterday was one of those days were I spent more time cleaning up after our girl than I did interacting with her. It made me realize that everything I told Kevin about puppies was true for our daughter. So here is my list why I believe having a toddler is like owning a puppy. 

 1. They poop and pee everywhere. Everywhere!
 2. They often chew food, spit it out, and eat it again
3. The knock everything over (both on accident and intentionally). 
4. They are always under your feet, especially when you need to walk. It is like a game to circle your legs as you walk.
 5. They like to howl/cry when the moon is full, or at night, or a loud noise, or just because.
 6. They like to lick. Your face, the wall, toys, the floor. It doesn't seem matter, let’s lick it!
7. They will pick anything up off the floor and attempt to eat it. Seriously, why? 
8. They have no sense of personal space.
 9. They don’t like it when you close the bathroom door. It’s like that think you need to be supervised.
10. They want to eat what is on your plate of food and will ignore their own.
11. They do not care about time. 4 AM potty break? Sure! Hopping into mom’s bed at 1 AM sounds delightful! Nap time 1 hour and 15 minutes before bedtime sounds like a recipe for “let’s stay up all night!”
12. They enjoy a sense of destruction.
13. They always manage to get dirty, especially right after a bath.
14. They either love water or abhor it, and sometimes both.
15. They love to beg. They give you one look with sweet puppy dog eyes


What similarities would you add to this delightful list?

Monday, August 3, 2015

Motherhood Moments #7

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...

But then again, it also quickly turns into this...




Sister has decided that being cute and posing for photos is not nearly as fun as wrestling with a squirmy baby brother. I think she has been watching her daddy too much. It is hard to tell who won since he almost outweighs her!Oh well, c'est la vie!