Vino and Stephanie Raj!! Wedding day Pictures!

Congrats to our friends, who were married today: Mr. and Mrs. Vino Raj!

Katrina and Heather were flower girls...

Bill was the Best Man...

And we all were happy to be part of their special day.

Jonathan was SOOO happy, that he did a special dance at the reception. :)

Sledding Fun

We don't have sleds here, so we used our laundry basket.  Fun!

Snow!!

Monday it snowed!!  It didn't stick at all, but it was our first official SNOW!

Christmas Time Again

 The kids feeding a reindeer

    Is it just me or does Christmas come around faster and faster every year?  We have been excited to be back in the US for Christmas this year, spending time with family.  We even went to a reindeer farm, and got a live (I guess it's a *dead* tree once it's cut down?) Christmas tree!!  Yay!  I guess the better word is a REAL Christmas tree.  We've never had a REAL tree in our 13 years of marriage, so I'm excited.

    We're still waiting for some snow, which we haven't seen in over 3 years.  It's only flurried lightly once.  LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW!

Proud of my girls

I am SO PROUD of both of my girls, who both received the Student of the Month award for their grade. Katrina won for September, and Heather for October.  I am just so happy that they are adjusting so well to public school, and are achieving so much!!

As a side note: We have found out that Katrina is far-sighted, and that near work (reading, sewing) causes her eyes to strain, even though she has 20/20 vision.  So, she will be getting reading glasses, and will be starting vision therapy soon to help strengthen those eye muscles.   

Fall Fun

I love Fall!  It's my favorite time of the year!  And we haven't been in America for fall for five years!  I love the changing leaves, the cooler weather, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and school events.
     This fall has been fun so far.  The kids got to ride a horse near Grandma and Grandpa DeLaughters' house, which was very exciting!  Unfortunately, Grandma DeLaughter just got home from back surgery so they weren't able to join us, but were there with us in spirit.

Grandma and Grandpa Fischer came up for Book Fair day, and took the kids out to a pumpkin patch, so fun! They helped us plant tulips in the front, before the first frost, which will look great this spring.  Grandma even brought up pressed fall leaves for the kids to make murals with. Fun fall day!

Halloween was fun, and the kids went to the party at our church here in Lincoln. Katrina was a nurse, Heather was Belle, and Jonathan was an astronaut.  They got tons of candy!

Can't wait for Thanksgiving and the Missionary Convention!  This season seems to be flying by so fast.  It will be Christmas season before you know it!

Heather's birthday

Today, Heather turned 8!  We are so proud of our beautiful and caring daughter.  She had her party right after school, and both sets of grandparents were able to come, as well as my brother, and 5 of Heather's friends from the apartments where we live. Her theme was My Little Pony... isn't the cake CUTE? And she got lots of pony related gifts.  We had lots of fun playing games outside and sharing cake and icecream.

    I love you, Heather!

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games: Toddler Version

   My wonderful, sweet son used to eat anything put in front of him with a smile on his face.  When he turned three years old, that all stopped.  He wanted to only eat chips, candy, and junk food.  If he had ANYTHING to eat 3 hours before dinner, he would simply refuse to eat.  Often, he has gone to bed not having eaten dinner because he just refuses to eat his food.

    I am not a super strict mom, but I do expect my children to eat healthy.  I don't even mind if they have some "junk food", once they have eaten something healthy.   My older two are great eaters and love vegetables, so I was surprised with my third born hating them!

      So, this is my new plan for eating.  No snacking three hours before dinner, unless it's part of dinner served early.  TRY everything on your plate.  I usually try to make sure there are at least some things at the table that he likes, but I do expect him to try new things and not say "I don't like it" when he hasn't even tried it!

    This proved most difficult when one night last week, he wouldn't touch his spaghetti (because I had poured sauce on it), or his green beans.  I didn't think it was too much to ask to eat ONE green bean.  He went to bed without eating, by his own choice.  In the morning, he wanted cereal, and I presented him with his plate from dinner I had saved in the fridge.  I told him if he would eat ONE green bean then he could have his breakfast.  He went until almost 11AM before he decided, yes he was hungry enough to eat a green bean!!  He gagged it down, but then smiled and was proud.  In my opinion, children who are "picky eaters" will eventually break down and eat what is offered them, if they are allowed to get hungry enough.  Meaning, offering only water until they eat OR AT LEAST TRY the food being offered.

   So, do you agree with allowing your child to go hours without food, crying for food until they are so hungry they'll eat anything, or would you offer your child something else that you know they will eat?

  Thoughts anyone? 

PS.  Tonight, Jonathan cried because we were having baked ziti and he wanted it "clean" (no sauce).  So, I rinsed the sauce off of the pasta and meat.  He ate all his pasta but left the meat, and wanted more pasta. I told him "Yes, once you eat everything on your plate."  It only took a few minutes for him to decide to try the meat and he ended up eating seconds.  

Last week of Summer!

    We just dropped of Katrina at camp for the week, which was a very last minute decision.  We just registered her yesterday.  This is a first for Katrina, she's never been to camp.  But, thankfully, she's sharing a  teepee with two friends, one friend that she knew at Chester-East Lincoln back in Kindergarten and a friend of hers.  So, she's already making friends.  

Katrina and Jonathan in front of the teepee she'll be staying in this week.

  Of course, Katrina can't be the only one to have fun this week, so my parents offered to have Heather come and spend 4 nights with them.  They came and picked her up last night, which was also very spur of the moment!

My parents and the kids, picking up Heather

  So, for the next few days, it's just Bill, Jonathan and I at home.  I'm really happy that each girl gets to make some special memories this last week of summer, which will be completed this weekend when we go up to Eastview Christian Church for their VBS!  We'll be arriving home Sunday night, and the first day of school is on Monday!   It's been a wonderful, busy and exciting summer.  Now, we look forward to what the fall and this school year will bring.

Thinking of Africa...

A BBQ at our Arusha house

I love it here in America, I really do.  Everything is so cheap (yes, fuel is $3.50+ a gallon, but we pay almost $8 a gallon in Arusha!), and convenient.  To check my mail I just look in my mailbox instead of driving to the post office down town.   You can find whatever you need at the store, and prepared food makes meals easy and quick! It's great that we can see our parents much more often.
   But, there are some things that I miss about Africa/Arusha.  As much as my kids drive me crazy sometimes, I'm going to miss them when they go to school in the fall.  In Arusha, we always homeschool, so that is never an issue.  I miss that in Arusha, our yard has a wall around it, so the kids can play outside without me "watching" them... here I have to be more vigilant.  Where we lived in Arusha, I could walk to the grocery store.  Here, I have to drive to get anywhere.  And, of course, I miss my friends in Arusha who make life so fun.  It seems we were always have a BBQ, or game night, or having people over for a play date with the kids.
      Of course, there are many things that are irritating, frustrating and plan exasperating about living overseas, so for now, I am enjoying modern life here in America!!

Home Sweet Home

We are finally "home", here in Lincoln, IL.  Above is a picture of our apartment, which is a 3 bedroom apartment, part of the married student housing here at Lincoln Christian Seminary.  Monday, Bill signs his official paperwork with the school.  Thursday is Katrina and Heather's school registration.  

This summer has been very busy and full of traveling and visiting, and I'm looking forward to getting more settled into our own home and schedule and traveling only on weekends.

Family Get Together!

We have been so blessed to see family, and it was great to be able to see Bill's brother David and his wife Kara and their four kids. They live overseas and arrived back in the States for a visit on July 26th for two weeks in Crown Point, IN.  Two days after they arrived, Bill's sister, Mary and husband Roger and two of their grandkids came to visit as well. Bill's aunt and uncle and cousins even got to come which was really great.  We were able to get a family photo.  

  

Fishing

 Today, Carolyn took the kids fishing at the lake right outside their back fence.  Jonathan caught his first fish! Katrina caught a 6 lb. bass!  It was fun.

EWWW.... you want me to touch that?!

At Bill's parents' house

  It's so good to FINALLY  be with Bill and Carolyn, after being in the States for exactly one month now.  It's great to see them, and we'll be staying with them for about 2 1/2 weeks.  

Camping Trip

  We got back today from a camping trip to Washington State Park with my parents and brother, Ben.  We had SO much fun.  It was Bill's first time to go camping in America and he loved it.  Although there aren't any  lions or elephants here, we did run into snakes... I'll get to that in a minute!
   We arrived Tuesday afternoon and it took all afternoon to set up camp, cook hot dogs on the fire, and then go to sleep in the tents.  Wednesday, we had alot of fun!  In the morning, we took a hike (a short one) after a pancake breakfast. Then, we went down to Big River and the kids played in the water for 2 hours. We got ice cream afterwards at the camp store.  My dad made a camp special-- potatoes, eggs and cheese on the campfire.
   Wednesday night, we thought we'd take the girls to see the stars, and some Northern constellations.  Our family and Ben waited until it finally got dark at 9:30 PM (We are used to 6am sunrise and 6pm sunset year round in Arusha!!).... we drove around the park trying to find a good spot to see the stars. Finally, we pulled into an empty parking lot, only to see two vans, and several people... and a HUGE telescope!! Seriously, at first glance I thought it was a cannon!  We got out and started looking up at the sky, and he just came over and invited us to look into his telescope... um, YEAH!  We were all so excited to be able to look through such a big telescope. We got to see Saturn, including the rings and moons! Wow! That was a once in a life time experience.  The girls were so thrilled, but Jonathan was asleep in the car through the whole thing.  Oh, well.
    Thursday morning, we torn down camp. The kids, my mom and I took a short walk along a paved road when... Jonathan stepped on a COPPERHEAD SNAKE!!  I screamed and pulled him back before my mom even saw what was wrong.  Unbelievably, the snake just lifted its head and that was all.  Perhaps it was  too cold to move yet, or there was an angel holding his mouth shut.  Either way, my head was raising for hours thinking of what that snake could have done to Jonathan. We quickly left the snake.  Later, Bill and Ben weren't able to find it again, so he must have moved on.  PRAISE GOD that nothing happened to sweet Jonathan.  Not many people can claim they stepped on a Copperhead and not gotten bitten.

   We got home safely Thursday afternoon and unpacked.  It was so fun, but it's good to be home!

We're back in America!

  We arrived back safely in St. Louis on May 30th, exactly one week today.  The kids all slept during the first flight out of Nairobi which left at 11:30 PM.  After a 5 hour lay over in London, the kids were awake and restless during the 8 1/2 hour flight from London to Chicago.  Jonathan cried and cried about wearing his seatbelt.  He fell asleep though, and I was able to buckle him up.  In Chicago, we enjoyed our first taste of McDonald's in three years!

      We have enjoyed staying with my parents.  This first week was full of fun and adventures: garage sale-ing, hiking, shopping for new clothes, going to the library, getting new bikes and going on bike rides, and just spending time with family.   Bill was able to pick up our new (to us) van the day after we arrived with the help of my dad and brother Ben.  

     Being back so far as seemed like being in a wonderland.... all the smooth paved roads, fast food restaurants... in general everyone seems so courteous (especially drivers), and everything is so CONVENIENT!  

What is home?

This is a picture of the kids and I right before we left for Tanzania at the beginning of this term in 2009.  They've changed alot!

It will be two months shy of three years that we have been on the field this term.  And, we have 20 days until we fly back "home" to America.  Of course, for Jonathan, he has spent most of his life here so it won't really feel like home him.  Katrina has spent half her life in Africa and Heather has spent all but one of her birthdays here.  So, what is "home"?

Katrina has been thinking about this as well.  She asked me, "Is home where you grow up?  Or where your parents grew up?"  That is a good question.  What is home?  Where you are currently living?  Where your parents are or you grew up?  Where you went to school?  For many MK's and TCK's (Missionary kids and third culture kids), the answer to all of these questions are in different places, usually different countries.  And, it's one of the questions that MK's most dread.  I know because my husband is an adult MK and he still hates that question..."So, where are you from?"..... I'll get back to you on that....

Why I Love Arusha

Our family with Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background

As we are preparing to return to America on furlough at the end of this month, I am thinking alot about things that I have missed in America such as MY FAMILY, certain food you can't get here (peaches, pears, horseradish sauce, etc.), and just the convenience in general.  But, there are also going to be things that I miss here (in Arusha) while we are gone for a year. I really do love it here in Arusha.

                   Some of the reasons I love it here in Arusha:

1.  We have made lots of friends here since we arrived in 2005. I love also that most people aren't so overscheduled that they don't have time for you.  The "busy-ness" level in general seems a little lower here.

2.  I love that we are here to do ministry and help others.

3.  I really, really enjoy the weather here.  Year round, it is mild temperatures, 70's-80's.  It may rain and be a bit cooler, or be dry and a little hotter.  But, in general it's the same mild, moderate temperature year round.  And I LOVE that!

4.   I love being able to get FRESH, and very tasty tropical fruits within walking distance of my house anytime I want such as: bananas, coconuts, avocados, pineapples and mangoes.  YUMMY!

5.  Minimal media influences for our children.  Our kid's friends don't have iPods or laptops or cell phones, and neither do my kids.  I love that their free time is spent jumping rope, playing  hop scotch, playing in a sand pit, and riding bikes with their friends.

6.  Cultural diversity.  There are SO many cultures and people groups represented here in Arusha.  Besides Tanzanias, you will find many Indians, both Muslim and Hindu; white ex-patriots from countries such as America, Canada, Australia, Denmark, and Germany;  Africans from other countries here working for the UN; it's never boring!  When Katrina was in preschool here, she was the only American in the class that included Tanzanians, Finnish, German, English, and Maasai children.  My kids are used to being the only "white" children in a group, and have friends from all races and cultures.

6.  Language diversity.  See above!  The national language here is Swahili, which Bill and I know and the kids speak a little of.  But, there are so many other languages spoken here, and most of our kids friends speak English as a second language. They have never thought to tease someone for having an accent, they are just happy they know English!

8.  Living here is like living in a huge, lush garden.  Where ever you look, there are flowers, and trees.  Along most of the streets in town there are flowers and plants for sale along the side of the road, and the streets are lined with trees.

9.  I LOVE the view of Mt. Meru that we can see here from our house (and all over Arusha) daily.  It's gorgeous.  If we drive a little bit out of town, we can see Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa.  Quite stunning.

10.  Hospitality.  Guests here are welcomed with outstretched arms.  And no need to call ahead of time.  Guests are considered a blessing, not an inconvenience or interruption.  If you go to someone's house unexpected they will stop what they are doing to offer you a meal.

There are many more reasons that I love it here.  I sometimes wonder... why doesn't everyone want to live here?!  But, I will be enjoying roast beef sandwiches from Arby's, and going to Target while we are in America!

   I truly feel that I have two homes now.  Arusha, and America.

Talent Show Day

A short clip of Katrina singing the song that she and Bill wrote together.  There were many talented children in the show, singing, dancing, and even giving speeches.

In the morning, all three kids participated in the Art part of the Talent Show.

Katrina looking lovely in her dress.

   It was a fun and busy day!

We went to Heaven

This morning, we went to church at Mbiguni (which means "Heaven"). They are a church that we are partnering with. It was my and the kids' first time to visit, which was nice.

While there, they appointed leaders of the church and Bill prayed over them. It was a neat experience. The pastor invited us to his house afterwards for warm sodas and cookies. This hospitality is not taken lightly and we enjoyed our visit.

It took an hour and a half drive to get to the church on dusty roads. We don't have AC, so the windows were down. By the time we got home, there was mud when I blew my nose! Quite an experience.

I am proud to say that the children sat through the almost 3 hour service without complaining.

Lost Innocence?

Katrina is turning 10 in April. The one good thing of being a missionary overseas is my children aren't exposed to media or many negative influences. (I didn't say any negative influences...)

She enjoys jump roping, playing hide and go seek, Simon Says, and even Ring a Round a Rosie. She does not own a cell phone, iPad, hand held video game, or iPod. She still plays with Barbies with her younger sister. She still likes Disney Princesses.

I am worried about how our furlough will change her. She will be going to 5th grade in a public school. I have to admit, I am worried that she will be teased for her innocence. I don't want her giving up games she loves because how others view her or tease her. I don't want her growing up too quickly. Because, you are only a kid once.

Am I totally freaking out over nothing? Or is there reason to worry?

My Many Roles

As a homeschooling missionary mom, I fill many roles in my children's lives.
TEACHER- I sometimes feel like this role is defining my relationship with my children. After all, I spend so much time during the day as their teacher. Katrina even calls me "Mrs. DeLaughter"or "Teacher"during school, I guess it is her way to distinguish between me being her mom and her teacher. When she was younger, she used to cry, "You can't be my mom AND my teacher!" I would calmy reply, "Yes, I can. And, yes, I am." I think that we are getting better at figuring out our roles in this homeschooling journey.

SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER- Since we attend church at Moshono Christian Church which is entirely in Swahili, and there is no Children's church or Sunday School, we have Sunday school at home before we leave for church. I know that all parents are the spiritual teachers of their children. Not everyone teaches their children their Sunday school lesson every week. Sometimes I print out coloring pages and teach a Bible lesson, sometimes I teach about nature and God's creation and make a lesson out of that. I actually feel the children get most of their Spiritual eduation during the week. Before school, we practive memory verses, read a Bible story and do a devotional.

GIRL SCOUT LEADER- Katrina and Heather are "PEGS" Girl Scouts, which is Postal Express Girl Scouts. In other words, long distance Girl Scouts. I'm not an offical Girl Scout Leader, but I am helping them each reach their goals and earn their badges. We do Girl Scouts on Saturday. Each girl does it seperately, as I feel they need this time to have seperate interests and activities.

SWIMMING TEACHER- While on furlough last time, we put the girls into swimming lessons which they loved. We haven't been able to do that here, so I have become their swimming teacher. When we go to a pool, I find myself giving diving instructions to Katrina or helping Heather swim underwater.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, MOTHER- At times it can be confusing and perplexing how this role is different from any of the others. I'm still me, and I'm spending time with my kids all day, helping or teaching them. So, why at the end of the day do they say, "Spend time with me, mommy?" Haven't we just spent all day together?! Yes, and no. "Teacher" Mom has been explaining how to subtract fractions or a phonics rule. But, there is more to being a mom than that. The kids need me to be just a mom to them sometimes. I try my best every day to spend time with each child by themselves. Even if it means turning on Elmo for Jonathan and letting one of the girls play a computer game for awhile. Because after all, who wants to just see their mom in school?

Video of Jonathan

This was so cute, I just had to post it.

Welcome 2012

Christmas season has come and gone, more like fly by... and now it's already the New Year. In one way, I am glad that the holiday season is over so we can get back to life as usual. But, I do enjoy the Christmas season, especially with kids.

We are starting school again tomorrow. We've been on break since Dec. 16th, so I'm ready to get back into a regular schedule again. The kids enjoyed their school break, but its time to get cracking again!

Wishing everyone a happy and blessed 2012!