It was fun to hear from Joe and Kendra this week. We didn’t get to talk to them, but we did get an e-mail. They were in Asuncion for a Peace Corps meeting. Most importantly, they updated their blog with a few pictures. 

I laughed out loud when I saw a picture of Joe plowing behind a pair of oxen and a picture of Kendra posing near a giant rodent!

They seem to be doing well.  They are building a bathroom on their little house. They are beginning to understand their jobs and their language is improving. They seem unphased by the challenges they are facing (including the rodent and oxen!)

Still, I couldn’t help but think of Laura Ingalls Wilder when I saw the picture of Joe and the garden. He’s still my little farmer boy!

The Feldkamps have a referral!

Two kids from ET are joining their family. They have been waiting for a long time for these two.

Things have changed. When the girls joined our family, we waited just about a month for a referral. This family has waited over a year.

Wish them well!  http://katelynsfund.org/feldkamp/?p=126

Please, little miss Megan. Do not put split peas in your ears again. I know they must feel fine going in, but they don’t feel as good coming out! Dr. K was not impressed with your attempt at keeping the noise down at daycare!

I had a long list of thing to accomplish this weekend. We’ve gotten a few of them accomplished. We have:

• Cleaned out Shega’s drawers and closet
• Cleaned out Thomas’ drawers and closet
• Cleaned my drawers and closet
• Cleaned the car inside and out.

AND I have played about 1,000 games of Bubble shooter!  I am totally and competely addicted to the Bubble shooter game on the sidebar of Concrete Steps of Faith blog.

In an effort to share an excuse for goofing off, here’s the address:  http://concretestepsoffaith.blogspot.com/

While you’re there, read this family’s story. They were within a week of heading to Liberia to bring home their little guy, Marcus, when Liberia closed its doors to inter-country adoption. Please pray for a speedy resolution for Marcus and his family.

Poor Megan. She has been on antibiotic for nine days and still has terrible pain in her ear. She wakes up and complains. She cried hard when we put in her ear drops. Do you think she’ll need new tubes, or do you think the fresh air and warm weather will take care of it?

Hmmmmmm!

My great nephew is in the same grade as Shega. He asked my dad, Great Grandpa to come to first grade and talk to them about World War II. Shega isn’t in the same class, but the teachers arranged for all of the first grade classes to be involved.

I knew that Shega would not know anything about World War II. She knows quite a lot about the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana, but nothing about World War II. However she knows her grandpa, so I was sure she would be excited about seeing him at school.

I couldn’t wait to ask her how it went.

Here’s a bit of our conversation.

Me: Did you see Grandpa at school?

Shega: Yes! It was fun to see Grandpa there. (She did a little happy dance and grabbed my hand during this part.)

Me: What did he talk about?

Shega: The past, the present and the future.

Me, trying to lead her a bit…. "What’s in the past?"

Shega: When you just asked me what happened at school….that was in the past. Or…. maybe that was the present, because it was still today….. or maybe that was the past because it DID already happen. I don’t know….it was either the past or the present.

With that, she happily ran off to play.

Later, she told me that Grandpa’s mom was scared because Grandpa and his brothers went far, far away to fight other people and their mom thought that she would never see them again. She told me that Grandpa’s mom cried and cried when they were away and they didn’t see her for a long long time.

Given her history, that part was likely very scary for her.

Past, present and future….

Megan complained about her ear at daycare yesterday. I brought her to the clinic where she received a diagnosis of a perforated eardrum. I believe that makes me 2 for 2 on the popped ear drum score in the last two months. Shega popped hers too.

Megan had no fever, no symptoms other than disrupted a sleep and didn’t complain at all. Poor baby! She must have an amazing pain tolerance.

When I fessed up to my friendly family pharmacist saying, "I can’t believe this bad mom let two kids pop an ear drum!" He replied with, "What! Did you get in there and pop them your self?!?" I guess he didn’t think I was responsible for the nasty morphed bacteria attacking my kiddos’ ears. Whew! Finally off the hook.

I had one fun thing happen at the doctors office, though. A few months back, when Megan broke her collarbone, she was brought a stack of princess and barbie stickers to choose from. There were no brown princesses, or barbies in the bunch. While waiting for the doctor, Megan had laid out all of the princess stickers in rows. Every sticker featured a white princess. When the doctor commented on Megan’s neat rows I mentioned to him that not one of the sticker girls resembled my little girl.

Well! Guess what! This time, the sticker girls were a lovely variety of colors. The doctor said he had made a note and had asked the office staff to get right on the "diversity sticker project." 

Cool! Sometimes folks do listen!

Do you feel judged as a parent sometimes?

I have been feeling judged lately. I wasn’t able to go to Thomas’ track meet because of work. I imagined that teachers and parents would feel sorry for Thomas’ lack of parental involvement. Shega had a library book in our entry for a week. We got a note stating that she wouldn’t pass her reading goal if she didn’t return it. I imagined that the teachers and librarian must feel that poor Shega had an irresponsible and disorganized mother. Megan said something unacceptable at school recently. I got a note home about that too, reinforcing my feelings of inadequacy as a parent.

Yesterday, I asked one of my student teachers about one of her third graders. She said, that she didn’t think his parents cared much about school. He didn’t have his homework done on time and he just didn’t seem to be able to get school work together.

The conversation reinforced my real or imagined feelings that everyone is a judge.

God has been working on my prideful heart lately. I guess I may have thought parenting was a bit too easy. Sadly, I may have even thought I had the skill pretty well mastered. Apparently, I needed some humbling. I may have even thought it was ok to judge other people’s parenting and homes without the knowledge of them and their lives.

I certainly have much to learn. I know I have to recognize my own inadequacies and need for help. I have to recognize my how quickly I jump to judgement on other people and their parenting.

I have a renewed sense of why I need a savior. 

31 What then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?  32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died-more than that, who was rasied to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Emma gave me a night out alone with my husband for mothers day. We went out for dinner. It made me feel a bit guilty to see all of the mothers out with their families. It seemed a bit odd that some kids gave their mom a night out with their kids, but my kids gave me a night out without the kids! We took in Star Trek after dinner. It was the perfect gift.

Live long and prosper super moms!

 One happy first grader got to go on the all day field trip with her class last week. Here’s the evidence of how badly she wanted to go!

Enjoy a moment with my very cool neice as she reminisces. Melaku and Askala and their brother and sisters are just as cool as their parents!

Praise God!  http://katelynsfund.org/vanvoorst/a-year-ago-2/

Church was great this morning. The pastor talked about faith. He has been doing a series on faith and doubt and working through issues of faith. His messages, through the holy spirit have been meeting my needs. His words work my brain. I appreciate that, even when my brain is a bit tired.

We had Ethiopian/Mexican fusion food for dinner.  In other words, we had left over Tibs with no injera. We loaded tortillas and ate it that way. It wasn’t perfect, but it was ok. It is amazing how quickly Ethiopian food has become a favorite. I wish we lived a little closer to the east African grocery stores in Sioux Falls. The tibs with injera is much better.

We had hair take down for Megan today. She has had her braids in for over a month. They were very fuzzy. I didn’t comb her hair all the way through. It took over an hour just to take the braids out. and she was tired of the hair game. The corn rows were definitely worth it. They took about two hours to do, but they lasted five weeks. I hope to have time to put them in again this week.

An invitation to the play "Pinkalicious" made one little girl joyful! Shega could hardly sleep the night before a friend and her mom picked her up to attend Pinkalicious. We read the book, wrapped another for the friend and dressed her top to bottom in pink. She even wore "pinktails" for the occasion.

Thanks friends! She had a great time!