She wanted to invite all the kids in her class. So since nineteen exceeds the number of children that Mommy is comfortable having in her house at one time, we held the party at HOPAC (there are no parks in Dar es Salaam).
It was easy as pie. The kids brought their bikes and scooters; then we gave them a hose and they turned the playground slide into a water slide.
Bikes, mud, and chocolate cake. Pretty much all you need when you are Seven.
She has:
A teacher she adores, someone dedicated enough to leave country and family to move halfway around the world and teach her.
Friends from literally all over the world, a multitude of cultures, backgrounds, and religions.
So many opportunities to practice loving and leading.
Lots of wiggly teeth.
First grade assembly, Term 1, doing their Ultra Super Cool Creation Rap.
(name that movie)
When I taught in California, there would be this big moving-van type truck that would arrive in the parking lot once a year with a mobile aquarium in it. The kids would be shuffled through and allowed about five minutes each to “touch and feel” the ocean animals.
First grade visited the tide pools last week to finish up their seashore unit. The kids at HOPAC don’t know how good they got it, with their own non-mobile aquarium five minutes away from their school, and they got a good two hours to “touch and feel” the real thing.
The octopus provided the most entertainment of the morning, when it proceeded to spray black ink all over the screeching children standing over it.
Mikayla, Nurdin, and their jellyfish friend.
Sometimes I laugh when people think our kids are deprived, growing up way over here in Africa.
Caleb was her very first friend. They are the same age and were adopted within months of each other.
Grace and Caleb, about 1 year old
Josiah and Imani are also the same age, and adopted within months of each other. So their family are very special friends with ours, and getting together is always filled with great anticipation. I can’t wait for Saturday, Grace said all week. Caleb and Imani live out in a village and we don’t get to see them very often.
Just way too cute…… (and don’t worry, we don’t bring up the marriage thing any more!)
Grace had her first day of first grade last week. Her second top tooth fell out just in time. After all, everyone knows that first graders should not have their two front teeth.
We also just passed the fourth anniversary of Josiah coming home to us, and the day after that, the first anniversary of Lily coming home to us. And as I sit here watching them, I think about how far we’ve come since that day last August.
The war between Josiah and Lily has come to a peaceable end. Of course, there are still battles–there always will be, but Josiah has not slammed the door in Lily’s face or done any kind of bodily harm to her for at least 8 months now. Now….Grace did tell me the other day that Josiah peed on the trampoline and then tried to get Lily to step in it….but we’ll just chalk that up to being a four-year-old boy instead of evil hatred. (But yes, he did get consequences all the same.)
It is now 9:00 am, and Josiah and Lily have been playing together for the past two hours and there has been no screaming. That would have never happened a year ago. They are both dressed in Spiderman costumes and playing with legos. Yesterday, they were both Jedi knights. It’s kind of funny, actually, since Lily is quite the girly-girl who loves her dolls and dishes. But since Josiah is her playmate most of the time, she has become quite adept with a light saber. And I just heard her mutter something about The Dark Side.
When he is not trying to make her step in pee, Josiah now takes his role as big brother quite seriously. It has been a long, long road of discipline and discussions to get him to this point, and just as much work to get Lily to stop screaming. It took months of telling them, “You are best friends!” before they finally starting acting like it.
I think the worst is over. Sigh of relief.
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