The Banks Off Shore

A Wonderful Season of Life

2012-01-10T00:38:00.000-06:00

What a season in which we find ourselves. The Bratvold side of the family really multiplied this year!
Last Christmas my parents had 1 grandchild.
This year they have 4 grandchildren!

I had Zeke in 2011 and my sister had not one, but two darling girls in August! John and Kari came to Missouri from Portland in November, then Kari was able to stay all through December! John came back at the end of December and we all had a family Christmas and rang in the New Year together! Ok, so only John, Kari, Logan and I were up to ring in the New Year.

Christmas was at our house for both sides of the family! I completely went overboard and did 3 trees, 3 wreaths, 2 chandeliers, and a staircase. I loved doing it though!

We had a great time together, made many of memories, and my sister took a TON of pictures. Literally. Like 700 or something crazy like that.

Don't worry, I won't post them all! But maybe. Here we go!

My Aunt Gail, "Gigi", was able to come up from Florida to spend a week with us. Thanks to Jerry for sparing her! We missed him and Cameron too.

Zeke needed lots of help opening his presents.

In fact usually eating the wrapping paper was much more entertaining than any gift!

I just think Liam looks so big here! Isn't he such a big boy?!

Sisters!

A framed print of Kari's two little sisters sitting on our boots (awwwww)

Matching sister jammies...what?! Oh c'mon, you know it's still cute.

Three generations of sisters:

~~My gift to myself.~~ Logan's gift to me:

Throws that totally match our house!

Speaking of matching my house, my Mom completely outdid herself and made me adorable oven mitts and potholders. Love.

Theeee coolest present of the day was to Logan from my parents.

They wrapped up a big box of their old (and now valuable) LP's.

First came albums of bands that Logan had only vaguely heard of.

Then he thought maybe this was a joke, or really a gift for me, when Barbra Streisand and Dionne Warwick were in there!

Hope started to rise when Logan pulled out John Denver.

Woah, wait a minute.

Bob Dylan? For Real?

Wait Logan, it gets better...

The Beatles! An original A Hard Day's Night album!

The records kept coming out of that box like Mary Poppins' bag.

Logan spent much of the afternoon examining these albums and looking them up online. What a neat gift. We will treasure this collection!

Christmas was a great time with family, but the guys were completely wiped out!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night.

Happy Birthday, Zeke!

2012-01-09T16:44:00.001-06:00

Zeke is one year old! His birthday was January 6th. We celebrated a little early because my sister and her family were still in town for Christmas.

(Actually Kari is taking this picture.)What fun to be able to be with family for his first birthday, because we were in Kenya on Liam's first birthday!! Here are a few highlights of the day:Just waking up and getting ready for "My 1st Birthday!"

He wasn't so interested in the cake. He just had fun feeding us!

Mommy tries to convince him to walk...

Mimi and Me

Taking this new toy for a test drive!

Play Ball!

May 2012 be even better than 2011!

Christmas with the Banks

2012-01-03T09:49:00.000-06:00

Not Christmas with the Kranks, the Banks! We were far from Kranky. It was great. The cousins slept in their snug little beds with coordinating jammies.

We woke up early Christmas morning to a glowing tree full of presents.

We opened several presents before it was time to get ready for church. It's always so cool when Christmas falls on a Sunday. What an opportunity to keep focused on the real reason of Christmas. Both Aletheia and Liam seemed to understand the story of Christmas. We talked about it several times through the day. They had so much fun together!

The adults had fun too! We had quality time in the kitchen while Granny watched the kids. New Year's Resolution: spend more time with Logan's brothers and my sisters-in-law!!

New Year, New Post

2012-01-02T18:57:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! It has been so long since I've blogged, the format has completely changed on me and the website to post on Blogger does not look familiar at all! We told our friends, Eric and Rachel, that we are finished blogging. It sounded a little sad, and too permanent, so maybe I will still post every once in a while. We will see if anyone is out there following!Christmas was fun with Logan's family and with my family. We hosted the Banks in our home on Christmas Eve and Day, then the Bratvold family a few days later. Along with celebrating the New Year, we also have already celebrated Zeke's first birthday! He is not 1 until the 6th, but we went ahead and did his party while my sister was in town. Since I am out of practice blogging, I really do not have anything clever or profound to say. Instead I will just upload a few pictures of our recent family photoshoot.

I hope that inspiration will strike soon for another blog post. Happy New Year to all!

Portland!

2011-07-22T12:41:00.010-05:00

We found our camera! Yay! We have not taken any pictures on it since we went to visit my sister and brother-in-law in April. Wow! So, here is a very late post about the fun times in Portland.

My sister is expecting twin girls, and thus one of the main reasons for the visit: I wanted to see her in her pregnant cuteness!! She has done an amazing job taking care of the little girls and is already a wonderful Mommy!

She, Zeke and I went to her Baby Shower where she got totally loved on and showered with gifts.

Liam had a blast in Portland! It rains all the time, and he loved tromping around in his rain boots!

There was always something going on in the big city and lots of trucks to watch.

We even went to this cool little restaurant that serves only gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, and is set up in an old school bus. There are tables actually on the bus that is decorated so fun.

Liam, of course, wanted to "drive!" He was in heaven!

One major highlight was being there for Easter. We went to John and Kari's church, Bread and Wine, which meets in a coffee shop. So cool.

One girl brought her pet lamb with her! So Portland.

I dressed my poor little boys in Missouri Easter clothes, but it was Portland weather!! They were good sports and after Liam got dressed he said, "You're so handsome."

Yes, Liam you ARE so handsome!

And so brave!! Liam fearlessly climbed this Lion at the Portland Zoo and gave it a good ROAR!

He went to their local park almost every day to swing under the BIG trees.

We had so much fun and I can NOT wait to go back and meet my sweet little nieces!!

Here is the beautiful mom now in July (3 months after our visit) counting down the days!! Stay in there a little bit longer girlees, you're almost done!

a few not-so-great pictures

2011-06-20T10:36:00.004-05:00

We can't find our camera.

I know this is no excuse, but here I am, trying to make an excuse for the lack of blogs. It is more fun to blog if I have pictures!

I do take pictures with my iphone on a semi-regular basis though. So, I have emailed a few of those pictures to ourselves so I can upload them from the computer!

Here is what has been happening recently:

GiGi came to visit!! My mom's Floridian sister came through Springfield to hang with the boys a few days, and now the two of them are going to Portland for a while to help my sister ready her house for the twins who are on their way!! Which reminds me......maybe our camera is in Portland! We had it there in April......hmmmm.... More about our Portland visit later.

Father's Day! Here are the boys with Daddy:
And with Papaw!

Happy Father's Day to Grandpa too! The boys missed you!

Speaking of father.....Daddy is always coming up with some fun game for his sons. Most recently, it was pulling them around the house on a towel. Slightly dangerous maybe, but that's what makes it so fun right?!

Liam and Zeke have loved being outside this summer. Which means running through the sprinkler, swinging at the park, running through the grass, and watching ants on the sidewalk. All this and more to make two very worn out boys!!

Again, sorry for the not-so-great pictures. But I wanted to post something, clear or not. Hope everyone is having a good summer!!

Camp out!

2011-06-04T08:22:00.002-05:00

Liam and I had a fun campout this week. I'm looking forward to taking him camping and floating in the summers when he is older. I thought we would start by just setting up the tent in the backyard.

He "helped" me set up the tent... which meant he wanted to take the mallet and hit everything with it.

and we had a "campfire" in the backyard, and enjoyed some S'mores. I think this was also a first for Liam. He would rather have raw marshmallows and graham crackers.

Liam was fascinated with the flashlight. Especially as the night got darker, he wanted to have the ability to have some light in the tent.

We didn't get to sleep until well after 10 pm, which is 2 hours past his bedtime. He just wanted to crawl around the tent, and explore every corner. Then he went through the phase were he kept asking to see Mommy. She was inside taking care of Zeke. My hopes of him making it outside all night were slowly vanishing...

He kept getting distracted by the outside noises. Bugs cricketing, birds chirping, planes flying by overhead, or helicopters on their way to the hospital. Sirens in the distance (he wanted to go see the "ambubance"). We read his bedtime books several times, and I sang his bedtime song many times. Finally, I turned on the noise maker on my phone (I use it for Zeke), which helped drown out the distractions.

I wasn't sure he'd make it, but we slept out all night! Then the next day he didn't want to get out of the tent, so I think he had a good time...

Zeke missed playing with big brother in the tent all night, but had a good time watching the smores. It won't be long until we all go on campouts together.

We had a fun first camping outing. I can't wait for the next one. And I don't think Liam can either.

The Little Guy

2011-04-03T22:59:00.003-05:00

My past couple blogs have been all about Liam, so I thought I would post a couple pictures of Zeke. He is starting to interact with us now. He smiles, laughs, and coos. His smile is extremely adorable, so I wanted to share it!

On the Farm

2011-03-30T08:06:00.003-05:00

Liam has always loved animals. One of his first words was "Moooo" in Africa. We do not have pets, but he reads about animals all the time and watches the neighbor's cat.

He has one book that categorizes animals like "In the backyard", "In the water", etc. His favorite page is "On the Farm." By the way, I had to laugh because the page with Zebras, Giraffes, etc is titled "At the Zoo." How neat is it that Liam has seen those wild animals in their native habitat while we went on Safari at Masai Mara!

Anyways, we recently took Liam to the Rutledge-Wilson Farm, which is a farm that is part of the Parks system here in Springfield. Kids can look at the animals and then play on the playground that looks like a barn. He had a blast!!

Here are the highlights below. I won't comment on every picture because several are just of Liam! If you have a toddler, you know it can be difficult to get a picture of your child's face, much less a clear one! So here is our fun day "On the Farm!"
The stare-down.

Just can't get close enough!

This one is for Uncle Levi: Turkeys and Tigers!

Trying to climb the ladder. Mommy had to help a little.
Here he sits in denial that the park is closing and he has to go home. Hopefully it will warm up again soon and we can go back!!

Liam is TWO!

2011-03-08T07:55:00.016-06:00

Party time!

Can you believe it? Liam is 2! Well, in some sense it feels like Liam already was a two year old. People have always been surprised how young he is, based on what he is doing and saying. He has been like that his whole life! Walking at 9 months, speaking 40 words by 12 months, counting to 10 by 18 months, saying the ABC's by 20 months, etc.

He surprises us every day with new words or phrases. Just last night Liam raised the two arms on his C3PO doll and said "Praise the Lord!" He can color purposefully with a crayon. By that I mean if I say "Liam, color this foot red", he can do it! Not inside the lines or anything, but right on the foot area at least. He stacks 10 blocks, but the 11th always seems to fall! He loves to run, jump, walk backwards, wrestle with Logan, roll (or crash) anything with wheels, throw balls, read books, and watch Duck Tales.

We got his hair cut this week so he would be all fresh for his party!
Last year we were in Kenya for his first birthday. We celebrated with the Kenyan children in our neighborhood and had a party with the other missionary kids. Luke and Riley were there, but no Grandparents. So this year we had a party just for the Grandparents! And Auntie Clarice, who has kind of adopted Liam as her boy! Can I just say up front that Liam did amazingly well at his party. As well as you could ask a two year old to do at least.

He was so excited to have balloons in his house! He would jump up and down and say "look at all the balloons!"

Logan tied a big bundle to the stairwell and next thing we know, the little guy some how knocked them loose and they were floating to the ceiling!

He just stood on the stairs looking up saying, "oh no what happened?" Daddy to the rescue. He got them down and the party could continue!

His cake was a chocolate #2 decorated like a road with cars on it! He was much more interested in the cars than the cake that is for sure! I think he took one bite and then ate the grapes on his plate instead. Then off to play with his new cars! I wish I ate more grapes than cake! Same with the car shaped cookies: he just drove them around until they crumbled!

He sat at his new table from Mommy and Daddy and opened his presents one by one taking time to enjoy each gift. It was so precious. His very first present was a stack of Dr. Seuss books from Aunt Kari and Uncle John. He plopped right down on the floor among all of his unopened presents and started "reading" his new book!

He played with each train he got, read each book, rode the motorcyle/tricycle from Mimi and Papaw, and shot some hoops in his new goal from Granny and Grandpa!
It was a fun day for everyone! Even Zeke!

Snow Days!

2011-02-04T08:21:00.005-06:00

Logan sure has gotten good use of his Christmas present mega-shovel this week!

He shoveled our drive, walkway, and porch with his new toy. Liam watched from inside saying, "Daddy working so hard!" Of course he wanted to join him out there.

It seemed like it took forever for me to dress him! Not to mention Zeke was screaming while I was trying to get a squirmy 23 month old into a snow suit! I breathed a sigh of relief after I sent him out the door.

Daddy was left to deal with the troublesome mitten for the next little while! I was watching from inside the warm house!

The guys tromped around the yard in the snow that was much deeper for the little one than it was for Logan!

But Liam loved it of course!

Sometimes he said, "Daddy hold you" when he wanted to be carried.

They wanted to build a snowman, but at that time it was just too powdery to do it. Maybe later! For now, just marching in the deep snow was good enough for Liam!

My Boys

2011-02-01T08:47:00.008-06:00

Well, I am sitting here watching another beautiful snow fall. This one is supposed to be bad, so I am assuming Logan's day will be even longer than usual because, unfortunately, hospitals are very busy in winter storms like these. We pray for his safety and the safety of all who are out in the weather across the Midwest.

Liam is sipping on his milk, nestled in his favorite little rocking chair watching Bugs Bunny. I love watching him do whatever it is he is doing - he is just so precious!

Sometimes it is hard to think of him as the big boy, and not still my little baby! He is growing up, but he still likes to suck his thumb and tickle his ear with "fluffy," or play with Mommy's hair when I hold him.

I am trying to teach him some skills to help him be more independent now that Zeke is here. For instance: eating a banana without help. Previously I would cut it up into little bit sized pieces for him. But recently, I have begun teaching him how to take a bite right off the banana so i do not have to do everything for him. I began by holding the banana for him and he did great, but just took huge bites! With a mouth he could barely close, he would still get out, "more banana!"

So, I set the banana down on the plate and said he could eat it. I guess I didn't explain enough or something because he missed one step: picking it up!

Maybe that is just the "Banks" in him that he does not want to get his hands dirty!

One of the first questions people ask is, "How is Liam doing with Zeke?" I say he is doing as well as we could ask! He was unsure at first, but he really loves him now. He says, "Liam hold little baby Zeke again." Only he puts his hands on top of the baby, not under him. So I can not really let him "hold" his brother completely yet!

They both have jammies that have a lion on them and Liam loves to wear the Lion pajamas, especially if Zeke has his on! Here he is pointing to Zeke's lion for you to see.

His only offenses toward his brother are not mean spirited, but in fun. Nevertheless, he does have to get punished because Zeke should not fly to the moon in his baby swing, Zeke can not catch a soccer ball yet, and Zeke does not want applesauce or cheese for a snack. Liam is ready for him to play and stop just lying around!!

Because Zeke does sleep quite a bit, Liam still gets plenty of Mommy's attention, and more importantly, Daddy's attention! He loves to go upstairs and play the guitar with Logan, ride horsey, and throw his balls around.

This past weekend was gorgeous weather, like in the 50's! So all four of us went to the park. Ezekiel slept in the stroller while Liam played, ran, and did his favorite thing: SWING! He just swings and watches all the kids playing in the park. This picture doesn't capture the joy, but trust me, he loves to swing!

All in all, the transition is going well. I love my boys!! There are more friends and family who have not gotten to meet Zeke, than have, so I will really try to update the blog. Christopher and Lindsey got to come up from Arkansas to hold the little guy!

But many others (i.e. my sister!) have not. So, here is what he looks like sleeping in your arms if you hold Ezekiel. What a brave little man in the making, huh!

Granny and Grandpa

2011-01-27T08:16:00.008-06:00

Last week Logan's parents came to visit the boys and stay at our new house for the first time! They were our first overnight guests, which I loved, and the boys had a great time too!

Liam really took to Grandpa being at his house. He constantly wanted to play with him!

He liked his white beard, his low voice, and his hat!

We had a beautiful snow while they were here and got "snowed in" for a couple days.

It was a chance to watch the snow fall, sit by the fire, and take turns napping!

Liam took a lot of energy of course, but with four adults we all got some play time...

...and some rest time.

Zeke was constantly being held for a whole week, so now all I have to do is break him of his "I won't sleep unless I am being held" habit!

So we all miss having the extra help here at the house! Come back Granny and Grandpa!

Christmas Day!

2011-01-20T13:45:00.005-06:00

I know Christmas has come and gone, but this year was our first Christmas in our new home!! So I wanted to document it a little, even if it is late. Here are a couple of pics of our living room and our main tree:

Mimi and Papaw came over for brunch and a little play time. If you ever come over, be prepared to get zipped up tight and get your shoes tried on by a certain little boy!

Even though we did Christmas with my parents on Christmas Eve, they had to bring just one more gift for the grandson to open Christmas morning!

Liam did not complain! It was a cozy little Christmas in our new home. Next year will be a little crazier with TWO boys almost 1 and almost 3! I better start getting ready now!!

Christmas Eve

2011-01-20T13:17:00.003-06:00

Christmas Eve was spent with my parents in their home. Even though we are able to be there a lot, it still was nice to go "home for the holidays."

We really missed Kari and John. We did get to skype and talk on the phone a couple times. Liam was really sad to only get to talk to them on the phone!

Mimi hand made several ornaments representing what Liam is into right now: airplanes, helicopters, cars, tricycles and big trucks!

He also jumped for joy when he got his new tent! He and Papaw had a great time!

Logan got a monster snow shovel that is coming in very handy right now with this weather!!

Liam was a little sick at that time, but overall a good time was had by all!
Merry Christmas!

Christmas at New Years!

2011-01-20T11:33:00.009-06:00

We did the Banks Family Christmas at New Years this year at Levi and Sarah's house! It was fun to have everyone together for both Holidays rolled into one!

We made personal pizzas...

And the traditional Banks silly New Years hats!

New Years morning became Christmas morning and we all got some goodies!

Liam loved playing with Aletheia!

He absolutely loved her hats, toys, books, and pretty much her whole house!

They played very well together and I hope they stay close friends through the years!

Fun with the Family!

2011-01-20T10:40:00.006-06:00

It seems that Zeke coming two weeks early, really caught me off guard! We wanted to post about Christmas and New Years, but did not get around to it in time! Well I am snowed in today, and thought I would post a couple pictures from our Banks Family Christmas at New Years!

On New Years night, Granny watched both the toddler cousins while we got some adult time in. We went to an arcade/bowling ally in Columbia, MO with Levi and Sarah and Grandpa.

The brothers ready for a duel:

Grandpa with two of his daughters-in-law:

Logan and I remembered that a couple weeks before Liam was due, we also went bowling! Here we tried to recreate a photo we took two years ago while I was carrying Liam!

Here I am with Zeke at 37 1/2 weeks:

And with Liam at 36 weeks:

Today (the 20th) is Zeke's actual due date and I am thankful he is already here with us!! Too bad he missed all the Holiday fun!

Winter Wonderland!

2011-01-12T09:55:00.005-06:00

It wasn't "the first snowfall of the winter," but certainly the most accumulation we have had so far!

On Monday evening the snow was really starting to come down about the time Daddy was getting home from work. Liam heard the garage door and ran out to greet Logan. And he just lit up when he saw what was falling from the sky! He ran to the driveway and just stood looking straight up smiling.

"Snow!" he said. I had him come back inside and got him all bundled up and sent him outside with Daddy.

The first thing he did was dive down and roll around in this mysterious white stuff. The shock of the cold hit him and he cried a little. But, after he realized the true definition of cold, and that it would not hurt him, he was fine!

He ran up and down the sidewalk and watched it fall under the streetlights. Then they headed back to our front yard to make some snowballs! Logan taught him how to gather the snow in his hands.

Then Logan would say, "Go throw it at Mommy!" Liam would parrot, "Go frow to Mommy!" But then it would stick to his mittens! I know, I know. Those are not the right kind of mittens for snow. But I tried to dress him so quickly, and the good mittens just would not go on!! It was so cute how the snow would stick though!

Then Logan got to teach him how to clap his hands and watch the snow go swirling off the mittens.

It was such a sweet Daddy-Son experience, it almost made me teary! Liam loves his Daddy!

When they came inside I wished Liam was old enough for hot chocolate and marshmallows! That will come soon enough. The only thing he was thinking about was "Liam take a coat off." So Daddy helped him get undressed.

And Liam helped Daddy get undressed.

Logan let him bring a snowball inside and they put it in a cup to watch it melt. Liam's first science lesson! But, he was a little more interested in Daddy's hat.

What did Zeke think of all this? He was perfectly content to stay snuggled up in bed. I think he will be more excited about next year's snow!

Bringing Zeke Home

2011-01-12T09:35:00.005-06:00

Sorry we haven't blogged since Zeke was born! Obviously, there are a lot of adjustments around here with 2 boys now!

We brought Zeke home on Saturday. It seemed like just yesterday we were bringing Liam home! I wanted to post a few pictures because coming home from the hospital has quite a tradition on the Bratvold side of the family.

My dad, Larry, was brought home on a snowy day in December in a special homemade outfit. Well, 27 years later the same outfit was on my sister, Kari, the day she went home from the hospital. Then 2 1/2 years after that, I wore the precious outfit!

Fastforward 28 years and I dressed my sweet first born, William Justice, in this keepsake. Here is Liam the day he came home from the hospital after he was born March 2, 2009.

And now 22 months after Liam, it was Zeke's turn! Here is little Ezekiel Bravery saying goodbye to the hospital and hello to his new life!

I think the boys look so much alike! We will see how they grow and change. At this point, Zeke has dark fuzz on his head, but Liam had little to no fuzz at this point. What he did have was strawberry blonde. Both priceless gifts from the Lord!

Zeke's Birthday

2011-01-06T22:07:00.004-06:00

Well, we have been way behind on blogging, so please forgive us. We may or may not get around to sharing the news of our recent move, or talk about Christmas or New Year's holidays. Because we have some much bigger news to share right now.

Julie just gave birth to our second son, Ezekiel Bravery!

She did such an amazing job! She is incredible! She had a great labor, and Zeke came in weighing just about a pound less than his brother did. But he looks like a champ.

Liam wasn't exactly sure what to make of this new baby.

He had heard us talk about "little brother" for a while now, but didn't really have his finger on what that meant. The thing he was most interested in today was that this baby had a hat on. "Baby wear a hat!" Then, "Take off the baby hat." When we wouldn't let him take it off the baby and put it on himself, he was pretty much done with the whole thing and ready to go. So, not quite what you would call a real "bonding" moment yet.

But we are so thrilled this new little gift is in our lives, and look forward to showing him off more to you soon, via pictures, or hopefully in person.

We're still here...

2010-12-16T19:10:00.002-06:00

We've been so busy lately we haven't had time to blog! However, there has been a lot going on!

A quick update...

We finally found a house! We closed last month, and have been moving in and getting "settled." We love the house, and have been working hard unpacking, and painting (I'd estimate we've painted over 60% of the walls already by this point).

Liam loves his new home, but wasn't sure at first. He wandered through the place a little hesitantly the first day, but grew to love it very quickly, and now calls it "Liam's house". He likes to walk outside with Daddy to check the mail, and to look at the neighbors' yards. One neighbor has a snowman that lights up in his yard so we always have to check it out, too.

We wanted to wait to post until we could upload some pics of the house, but we haven't yet found where we packed the camera! Hopefully we'll find it soon, and we'll share some pics then. Until then, happy holidays!!!

Liam Goes to Work

2010-11-07T15:58:00.003-06:00

I have posted previously how Liam watches very closely what Logan puts on to go to work everyday. Well, he has taken it one step further, and now Liam wants to be even more like Daddy and go to work himself.

The other day I was in the kitchen and I heard Liam fumbling around in our closet. Usually this means he is finding shoes to walk in, but today was different. He was reaching as high as he could to grab one of Logan's ties. He wrapped it around his neck and said "Liam go to work."

I said, "Oh, is Liam going to work? Ok, well bye-bye. Have a good day!" He walked out of the room, waved goodbye to my Mom and said, "Bye-bye, Mimi. See you later!" Mimi said, "where are you going?" As if we didn't know, he replied, "Liam go to work."

I wondered what he would do. He walked all the way to the garage door and sat down because it was locked. (All outside doors stayed locked these days!)
Maybe he decided this specific tie just wasn't right for him, because we went through this same routine with 4 different ties, except he started adding goodbye kisses! It just melted my heart. He wants to be just like his Daddy!

"Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?"

2010-11-05T09:48:00.008-05:00

"No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, but I do bite my thumb, sir."

So, Liam the Dinosaur was not quite AS happy with his costume on the actual Halloween night as he was a few days before! But he was a good sport.

Basically he just hung out around the house and watched all the kids come to the door at Mimi and PaPaw's house. Some he would watch from a distance, and some he would want to see up close. There were a few scary costumes that made him cry. He would rush to Logan and Logan would pick him up and say "Daddy's got you." Then every time Liam was unsure of a kid's mask or costume, he would run to Logan and say, "Daddy got you."

One little fairy princess was so cute, I guess Liam wanted to join her. He ran out the door into the dark to follow her. Logan raced after him and they followed the cute little girl to the next house. Liam even got a treat out of his trip! He didn't say "Trick or Treat", but he did say "thank you" to the nice neighbors. They gave him a Frankenstein sucker!

We unwrapped it, stripped him down, and told him he could eat it. After the first taste he squealed and said, "oooooooo!"

He had a grand time with it. Of course, he got all sticky. He crinkled up his nose as he looked at his hands and said, "Dirty, messy!"

But, it was well worth the mess. He loved it, and we loved sharing the evening with our sweet boy!

Liam's DINO-mite Party!

2010-10-28T07:15:00.007-05:00

Well, Halloween is in full swing! We have had Liam's costume a few weeks, and already it is tighter than it was the day we bought it! Oh well, he is a growing boy! Liam is dressing as an adorable dinosaur for his first little costume.

Yesterday at his Mom's Day Out Preschool Party, I was able to go and have my first "Room Mother" experience. Liam goes to "preschool" at our church two half days a week. It really helped Mom and me get through the roughest part of my pregnancy. But now Liam talks about his teacher and other kiddos so much, I want to keep him in it so he can have playtime with other children.

We had a great time at the Party! Liam's class is the youngest, because the program starts at 18 months. Liam being only 19 months, he is one of the very youngest, but you would never know it! He is such a big boy!

For the most part Liam looooooves his costume! He wore it all day long until bathtime, and we even took an evening walk around the neighborhood with his pumpkin bucket and everything! The tail is not his favorite though. It bothered him in his chair at the party, so he kept saying, "Takey off!"

None of these kids have sugary cookies very much, so it was cute to see them study their little treat and decide how to tackle it.

Liam's first encounter with a juice box was successful! No spills! Just frosting all over his face, fingers, and hair!

On our way out of the church, we had to go by the big colorful elephant! Here Liam is moving his arm up like a trunk and making an elephant noise. Soooo adorable. He is cute! But maybe I am biased.

More Halloween pics to come!

Liam counts

2010-10-18T14:58:00.002-05:00

I was away in Philadelphia for some CME when Liam started counting! Julie caught some on tape (it was early in the morning and in the garage, so she wants me to apologize for the lighting). But it was too cute not to share!

Family Weekend

2010-09-30T10:01:00.004-05:00

Last weekend Liam and I rode with Luke, Jacob and Cameron to my hometown for a big family weekend. One one side of the family we had a Banks' reunion and the next day celebrated with the other side of the family for my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary! Julie didn't feel up to the long journey, so Liam and I got lots of quality time together. We missed Mommy for sure, but we were able to let our hair down a little and maybe get away with some things that would not fly at home!

Liam loved being in the country and it was fun for me to re-explore where I grew up through his eyes.

He re-bonded with Uncle Luke and gladly ventured off on a hayride without me to hang out with Luke and his cousin Cameron.

He loves anything with wheels. I think his favorite thing was climbing on the tractor; but in competition for his favorite part of the weekend had to be hanging out with his cousin Aletheia.

The moment he saw her, he squealed, "Asheeah!" and ran toward her. He quickly kissed her right on the lips and hugged her tightly. They were buddies the whole weekend!

He took every opportunity to either show off for her, or give her a few pointers about a subject he knows well: CARS!

Most of the time he hogged the fun red car, but the precious few minutes he gave her in the vehicle were a little hard for him to swallow.

He decided to distract himself by pushing a much smaller, but clearly more rugged, dump truck. But then whatever Liam was playing with suddenly became tempting to Aletheia and she decided that she needed to play with that toy instead!

But all was forgotten when Granny threw them in the bath together. Just one of the many pictures they will not forgive us for taking!

We finished the weekend off with a 60th Anniversary celebration for my mom's parents. It was during Liam's nap time, so he didn't make it very long, but it was great to catch up with that side of the family too.

Pictured here is:
Logan, Liam, Levi, Mom, Dad, Luke, Cameron, Jacob, Grandma and Grandpa. We still have yet to get the whole crew together since last Christmas, but hopefully soon!

Heroes in a Half Shell

2010-09-23T11:56:00.005-05:00

Liam got his first giant turtle experience at a local Fall Festival! Here are a few pics from the day:

Logan and Liam check out the "Turtle Truck."

The turtle is very interested in Liam's tiny hands!

Logan protects him, but still lets him touch the turtle's shell! Liam was not too sure in the moment, but he talked about it for days.

He was too little to ride the Barrel Train, but shouted "Choo-Choo Tain!" when they passed. He also loved the children and said, "Bye-Bye Lilren" as they went on their way.

Ahhhhh, something safe and secure. In the stroller with Daddy driving. Doesn't get much better than that!

Snip, snip, snip!

2010-09-16T10:39:00.006-05:00

After about 18 months, we decided it is finally time for Liam's first haircut. He was bald for much of his life, and his hair really was not that bad, but from the back sometimes it looked like a little baby mullet, or "bullet" as Logan called it.

We made an appointment at this cute little place called "Cookie Cutters." They specialize in kid haircuts and cater every detail to the little ones.

The barber chairs all look like boats, trucks, trains, pink convertibles, or in Liam's case: an airplane!

Liam was a trooper! Logan carefully explained to our little guy what would happen during the haircut. They take your hair in their fingers and go "snip, snip, snip!" Liam thought that sounded fun and said "snip, snip, snip" the whole drive to the shop. When the "snipping" actually started, he watched very closely.

He did not say a word (which is rare for him). He just quietly drove his airplane and stared into the mirror. No tears, no fuss. Just soaking in the whole experience.

Daddy rewarded him with a rare treat: ice cream! We all had a great time.

Now, if he hears a conversation with the word "hair" or "haircut" or even "airport" (which sounds like haircut), he thinks back to those scissors and proudly says "Snip, snip, snip!" He is a sharp cookie!

Weekends with Daddy

2010-09-07T09:00:00.008-05:00

Weekends are Liam's favorite. Daddy is home! Labor Day weekend was a blast, but so was last weekend, and really anytime Logan is home. We try to get Liam out of the house and around town to do some fun stuff.

We took him to a park where he tried new things. He loved riding a bulldozer, or "big truck" to Liam.

He learned a new word: "Dinosaur!"

Liam decided they are very fierce creatures and worked hard, with Daddy's help, to conquer both dinos while he was there.

The swing, by far, was his favorite. He loved feeling the breeze, watching cars, and hearing the other children play.

And, of course the one-on-one time with Daddy!

We have found that going to a pet store is a great activity for an 18 month old. He gets to see a ton of animals! Fish, rabbits, and dogs are his favorite. If a dog is asleep in his cage, Liam goes up to the cage, puts his finger to his lips and says "Shhhh, doggy seeping."

He likes looking at the birds and saying "teet teet" right along with them, but when it came to petting one, he was not so sure.

Liam was spoiled with a long weekend with his Daddy. He cried with his nose pressed against the door when Logan had to go to work this morning.

He knows when Logan is going to leave by the way he is dressed. He says, "Daddy tie. Belt on. Daddy buttons. One, two shoes."

Then he puts it together. "Daddy work."

"Bye-bye, Daddy."

Fatherless Generation

2010-09-03T20:48:00.002-05:00

Check out my brother-in-law's new book! Fatherless Generation

Donald Miller reviews the book here:

Don Miller Reviews Fatherless Generation from The Mentoring Project on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday Logan!

2010-08-31T15:59:00.005-05:00

Last week was Logan's 30th birthday! I am a little late posting and overall lacking in my posts all together! But I wanted to shout out to the best husband in the world and tell him Happy Birthday!

The two of us spent a couple nights in Branson sans Liam. It was my first night ever away from our little guy, but we had a great time!

Then on Logan's birthday, Liam and my mom and I surprised him at the clinic with a chess cake. Liam stole the show and everyone was impressed with his animal naming skills!

On his birthday night, Logan and I went to Ocean Zen, one of the best restaurants in Springfield. I am afraid it was nowhere near the surprise Logan cooked up for me on my birthday, but it was great to spend time together!

Love you, Baby!

House Shopping

2010-08-16T15:34:00.003-05:00

We've been back over two months, and have yet to put an offer on a house. It isn't that there are so few choices, in fact, there are so many choices, it has been difficult getting around to see them all and make a decision.

We didn't really narrow our search down to one specific location, either. Basically, I just want to be within 10-15 minutes of the hospital in case I have to rush in there late some night. We're staying with Julie's parents for the time being, and they live less than 10 minutes from the hospital, so that hasn't been a problem.

However, as gracious as they are, we can't count on living with them forever!! So the search continues. Hopefully we'll be ready to make an offer soon. It will be nice to finally feel "planted" again, after over a year of living nomadically...

We stayed in a small cottage in Morgantown, WV, along with 2 other couples and their children (when they say "cozy" they mean small) while we took the Tropical Medicine course offered there.

We stayed in an apartment above the daycare at St. Francis hospital in Wichita. It really took us back to our college days and reminded us of dorm living. Except our neighbors were cool International Fellows. Oh yeah, and a wonderful nun.

Then we stayed in an apartment a short hike from the hospital in rural Kenya. Plenty of room, a bit industrial. But you couldn't drink the water, and there were plenty of exotic bugs that may spread things like malaria, sleeping sickness, river blindness, kala azar, etc. Thankfully, many of these diseases were rare there, but the bugs were not. The Kenyan version of Raid is called "Doom". And I know Julie was the harbinger of Doom to many of the pests that visited our apartment.

Buying a house now, after living like we did for over a year, and realizing how little we really need, has been a lesson for us. A lesson in humility, and priority, and responsibility. It isn't the size of the house, or the number of bedrooms or bathrooms or garages, it is the people inside of it. No matter the size, we want the house we buy to be God's house, because it all ultimately belongs to Him! He is the owner of everything, and he just lets us borrow the keys. We want to be the best stewards of our house that we can be, and to be a blessing to all who cross our threshold. Maybe you've moved recently, too, or maybe you've lived in your house a long time; either way, hopefully you can say the same thing.

Southern Accents

2010-08-05T11:01:00.009-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Liam had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time getting to know family on my mom's (Mimi) side of the family. She is from a small town in Mississippi, and one of her sisters still lives there, Aunt Bobbie, who is the eldest sibling.

She, and most of the family, had not seen Liam since last summer, when he was about 3 1/2 months old! This is baby Liam last summer with Gordon (Aunt Bobbie's son) and his two boys, Justin and Zach.

This year Liam had a blast with the boys taking their hats, playing games on their iphones, and mastering the art of a manly high five.

He also was able to meet Gabby, Gordon's niece.

Liam took to her immediately and followed her everywhere she went saying "Dabby!" and constantly tried to kiss her!

Now, it should go without saying, but I will say it anyways. My Southern relatives, of course, have thick Southern accents. Usually we communicate very clearly and easily overlook small differences like for them, you eat dinner at noon and then supper in the evening. No big deal. But certain words come out sounding quite a bit different when you add that Mississippi drawl to them.

A funny thing happened last summer when we were visiting Aunt Bobbie. We were eating "supper" and Gary, her other son, called from Baton Rouge. The conversation went a little like this:

Gary: Hey, whatcha'll doin'?
Aunt Bobbie: Aww, just sittin' here havin' supper with Kathy and Julie and Liam.
Gary: LIAM? You mean like on a tree?

Liam does sound like LIMB when said in a Southern accent, so from then on he was known as "Branch." Even though last summer he was no bigger than a twig! Gary taught Liam to say "branch" so much that Liam thinks Gary's name is Branch!

In fact, Liam has pretty much equated Branch with any "good ole boy" looking guy wearing a hat. He points and says "Branch!" in the stores and even to the washing machine repairman that came last week!

I have a feeling this nickname will last for many years between Liam and Gary!

Stay tuned for more adventures with Liam down South...

Pudding Paint

2010-08-01T11:49:00.003-05:00

The weather has just been SOOOOOOOOO HOT lately! Kids can stand heat like this much better than adults. But unfortunately Liam is not old enough to just send outside by himself! So, we have to get creative with indoor activities!

Today was pudding painting!

Mimi set Liam up in her kitchen with a spatula and some chocolate pudding and let him "paint."

He worked very hard to spread the pudding as far as he could reach! He wasn't too sure about how it felt all over his hands and arms. He kept saying "lotion!"

The clean-up probably took longer than the playtime, but to Liam everything is playtime - even cleaning up! Hopefully the weather will cool off soon so he can get some long hours of outside time. But for now, we settle for outside in the early morning and late evening, and creative indoor time in between!

More pics of Nancy and Kipchumba

2010-07-21T20:13:00.002-05:00

The last we had heard, Nancy had her baby, but he had some issues and went to the intensive care nursery. We have just found out that he had a very good course in the nursery, and was able to be discharged in a normal fashion, eating well and doing pretty good overall. We're thankful for the news, and wanted to share a few new pictures we got of Nancy and little Kipchumba.

Seeing these pictures really made me miss our Kenyan friends, as well as the work I was doing there in the hospital. Please say a prayer for Nancy and Alfred as they take care of this little one. And pray for the hospital and the workers that are still there carrying on God's ministry in that area.

Batchin' it

2010-07-19T20:02:00.003-05:00

What do you do when you and your father-in-law are home alone, and your wives are several states away?

You make really awesome banana splits, of course!!

Men v. Food

2010-07-16T23:10:00.002-05:00

Julie took Liam and went with her mom and her sister to Mississippi, for a family reunion of sorts. This left my father-in-law, Larry, and me home alone. We decided to do something we could never get away with if the ladies were here. We went to W.F. Cody's, a local greasy-spoon/pub, and ordered the special: one-pound cheeseburgers! Not only is the burger as big as the plate it comes on, they bring you a separate plate piled high with french fries. We had a great time, and it was delicious! Now we're thinking of ways to burn off all that excess cholesterol!

Little Kipchumba is born!

2010-07-07T08:17:00.006-05:00

We have received word from friends at Tenwek that Nancy, our househelper, has had her baby! It is a boy, and Alfred and Nancy named him Kipchumba. This means "boy born when the whites are here." We were not actually there when we was born, of course, but since she spent most of her pregnancy with us, she decided to give him that name. It sounds like there were a few complications, and he is in the NICU, but we are praying everything will be fine and he will be safe at home with them soon!

Nancy and Alfred were dear friends while we were in Kenya. They were a bridge to the native culture and helped us understand the world around us, and explained our weird white ways to our Kenyan neighbors! She was great with Liam and loved being involved in celebrating Liam's first birthday with our Kenyan friends. I made sure to leave her with Liam's Birthday Boy shirt, as well as several other pieces of clothing. I wish we could be there to hold their little guy, but the things we left behind will have to represent us for now! Perhaps we will meet again in the future and get to see Kipchumba. For now, we must be satisfied with these pictures.
Keep this new little family in your prayers!

Fun in the Kitchen

2010-07-04T07:31:00.007-05:00

Liam loves to help Papaw and Mimi in the kitchen!

He helped Papaw make pizza for us the other night.

Then he helped Mimi clean up the dishes.

Now if I can just teach him to wash the car and take out the trash...

Spa-tastic

2010-06-29T17:42:00.004-05:00

While we were enduring the journey home from Africa with Liam, much of the time Julie and/or I had to sit very still for hours while Liam slept. This, combined with the general fatigue caused by traveling for longer than a day, caused some serious body aches for us when we got home. While we were on the plane, we talked about getting a couples massage when we got back, and how good that would feel. That kind of daydream on a cramped plane helped pass the time, and take our mind off of the fact that Liam was asleep in Julie's lap and her arm was numb.

We've been back a few weeks now, but I have still felt like my neck has been extra tight. Julie said she feels the same, so today we decided to get a massage. We went to a local spa (Julie has been before) and had not only the couples massage, but also the pedicure. I can honestly say I think this is the softest my feet have ever been in my life.

For those of you wondering if it is ok for a man to get a massage and a pedicure, the answer is definitely yes! Don't worry, they won't put on any nail polish or anything. Well, unless you ask them to. My pedicure was actually a lot of scraping and filing, but in the end, it was worth it. It was especially fun to enjoy this with my wife, and she deserves all the pampering she can get!

The Mentoring Project

2010-06-24T20:40:00.000-05:00

This is a great blog from my brother-in-law. He heads up The Mentoring Project, an organization that helps partner mentors with fatherless children. Check it out!

The Mentoring Project - A Fatherless Question For Fathers Day

Fellowship Graduation

2010-06-20T20:18:00.005-05:00

This weekend was the graduation for the International Family Medicine Fellowship, the culmination of this year of training.

It was a bittersweet time for Julie and me as we said goodbye to our friends the McQuillen's and the Epperly's. We cherished the five months we spent living down the hall from them in Wichita while we prepared to go overseas. Then we said goodbye to them five months ago, as we traveled to different parts of Africa. While we have been in Kenya at Tenwek Hospital, they have been at Karanda Mission Hospital in Zimbabwe. All four are physicians and parents. It sounds like they had a rich time, full of struggles of course. But the people we encountered this weekend were different than the friends that we left five months ago. They have obviously been challenged and changed by the power of Christ. It was wonderful to hear their stories through tear-filled eyes, and to look at each other's pictures.

The graduation was primarily for the Via Christi Family Medicine Residency, so we were able to see the awards given to residents and faculty. Dr. Todd Stephens gave a wonderful presentation about the fellowship including a slideshow of all 5 guys and their experiences abroad. He was also kind to recognize the wives and their important role in the life overseas.

Drs. Jack Kline and Rick Moberly, who also worked in Zimbabwe, were not able to be there and we really missed seeing them. All of them will reunite in rural Iowa where they are setting up practice. They will continue the work they started at Karanda by traveling back to Karanda for three months at a time on a rotating basis.

We are ready to start the next chapter in our lives as well. We will start on faculty at the Family Medicine Residency at Cox Hospital in Springfield, Missouri on July 1.

Some of the lessons we learned from this year were obvious and immediate, but I think it will take a while -- months or even years -- before we fully understand and can fully appreciate some of our experiences. When we look back on the wedding vows we made over four years ago, this time has definitely been our most "for poorer" and "for worse". But through God's grace, we made it, and we have certainly grown closer together as a couple, and a family.

Bible Ninja

2010-06-16T17:12:00.002-05:00

This video blog is a shout out to Uncle John and Cousin Cameron. Both of them recently had birthdays, and I think somehow Liam was channeling their energy or something because he randomly has started this Karate Ninja thing. Uncle John actually is a skilled Martial Artist, and one of Cameron's funniest stories has to do with him being drug around town in his Karate suit.

Liam also loves to sing Bible songs like Uncle John and Cameron. Specifically the part of Jesus Loves Me that says "the Bible tells me so."

Today we were lucky enough to capture Liam's ninja skills on video, and then he randomly broke into his favorite song! It was so cute. Enjoy, Cameron and John!

Weekend with the Banks'

2010-06-15T18:01:00.008-05:00

Julie and I spent the weekend in southeast Missouri catching up with my parents, and a lot of friends and family from that side of the state.

Grandpa and Granny had a great time with Liam...

picnicking in the park,

playing in the yard,

walking around the town,

and they were even able to show him off at a well-timed family reunion, where Liam got to meet and play with his cousin that was born on the exact same day.

Sunday night, I was invited to speak at church about our time in Kenya.

A lot of people from this area were praying for us during our time in Africa, and it was a joy to share the story of this past year with them. In traditional Baptist fashion, we had a wonderful potluck dinner following the service.

All in all, we had a great weekend visiting family and sharing the news of what God has been doing in our lives.

Show Me Summer!

2010-06-09T15:57:00.006-05:00

Being back in the Show Me State just as summer is kicking in has its perks. Well, probably being with family is the main "perk", not actually our state itself. But, this weekend we were able to enjoy two wonderful things: family and the great outdoors!

The three Banks brothers headed to Table Rock Lake in Branson for some fun in the sun. Luke and Tracy live there with Riley, Jacob and Cameron. Levi and Sarah came from Columbia with their daughter Aletheia and Sog the dog.

Liam had a blast hanging out with his cousins. He and Aletheia kept calling each other "Baby", but finally today at breakfast he attempted her name. It came out "Ee-Ah." They're pretty tight.

Yesterday we rented a boat and hit the water just in time for Liam to take a nap on Mommy. He is still adjusting to the time change, so we are just thankful for any sleep he gets!

Logan took several turns behind the boat. He rode with each kid, and tubed a couple times by himself. Captain Luke was trying his hardest to knock him off! He succeeded a few times, but some of the tube rides were just pleasure cruises.

Logan even took his turn driving Luke on the tube. Luke definitely caught some serious air while Logan was the driver!

Liam woke up just in time to see Daddy drive and he quickly wanted in on the action. Logan parked the boat in a quiet part of the lake and we all took some time to play in the water.

Liam did not enjoy wearing a life jacket, but he did love being on the boat! He laughed at Daddy on the tube...

...waved "Hi" to his friends driving by in boats...

and just hung out on the open sea!

Liam was wiped out at the end of the day. Last night was his first time to sleep through the night since we've been back. Maybe we should go to the lake everyday! I wish.

Ahhhhhh, summer time in Missouri!

Back On Shore

2010-06-05T08:46:00.006-05:00

We made it! We survived! Liam was such a trooper on our journey home. It was an ordeal over 36 hours counting the drive from Western Kenya to Nairobi, but we did it! There were times where I wondered when the flights were going to end, or if I would ever get some sleep. We were thankful for a five hour layover in London where we were able to get a snooze and some good food (porridge and eggs for Liam and Mommy and a big burger for Daddy). We chose a restaurant called Giraffe thinking that would be somewhat familiar for Liam. He didn't really notice the giraffe decorations, and unfortunately the sun was coming up right outside the window. But again, he was a trooper! We don't have any pictures of us on the plane, etc. because let's face it: who really wants to see that, and do I want eternal proof of how I looked those very long days?

We are so thankful to be home! We didn't actually kiss the ground, or anything like that, but are enjoying every small detail. We started compiling a "Top 10" list of what we are thankful for here in the US, but as quickly as we could make that list, we could also make one for things we miss about Tenwek!

It's been less than 48 hours since we've been back in the States, but already we've encoutered a lot of the differences between the culture we left in Kenya, and the "new" culture we are re-adapting to here in the U.S. Perhaps in another blog we will discuss some "deeper" issues about the cultures, but for now, here is a simple Top Ten list, in no specific order, of things we miss about Kenya, and things we love about being home!

What we miss about Kenya:
1. My Ballet Class! Those girls were precious and I already miss the giggles and trying to corral them to start class on time.

2. Liam's play group What fun kids!
3. The McCropDers and other Missionaries we had to leave behind - We are so thankful for the friends we made.
4. The mild equator weather - It's hot in Missouri!
5. Krest Bitter Lemon - We have already started tasting soft drinks to replace it. So far they are all too sweet.

What we are loving here in the US:
1. Fast internet - I mean.....WOW
2. Clean, clear water - What a relief to not worry about Liam getting some water in his mouth during a crystal clear bath, and Logan and I both hesitated before rinsing our toothbrush under the faucet.
3. Shower - What a difference having a consistent hot shower, with great water pressure makes. I finally feel clean after 5 months!
4. Comfortable bed with no mosquito net - Our mattress feels so great, and we don't have to worry about getting tangled up in the net, or worry about getting eaten in our sleep!
5. Family - It's great to be home with my parents and Liam has taken to Mimi and Papaw perfectly.
Monday we will hang out with Logan's brothers and families and then next weekend we are off to Irondale to spend quality time with Grandpa and Granny!

All three of us are still jet-lagged, and Liam is waking up several times in the night. Pray for a fast recovery as we continue to assimilate to our new/old life.

There's No Place Like Home

2010-06-03T07:20:00.000-05:00

We made it back safely to Springfield! We are all so exhausted. We left Tenwek at 3:00 pm on Wednesday, and arrived home about 36 hours later. Liam did very well considering he didn't have a bed. He had a few near melt-downs on the plane, but was quite a trooper. In fact, I think he did better overall than Julie or me. I know I felt so tired and dirty after that trip. We rejoice that we were safe, and that all of our luggage made it. We will write more later about our final Tenwek adventures, and the trip home, etc., but I just wanted to post something as soon as possible. Thank you for all your prayers!

Goodbye's

2010-05-31T23:44:00.010-05:00

As we are working hard to pack our trunks to go home, we are also making the rounds with our friends here and are saying goodbyes.

Our upstairs neighbor, Trufosa, has been pregnant the whole time we have been here and she finally delivered a couple weeks ago! However, the baby suffered seizures and stayed in the neonatal nursery for two weeks. Thankfully, the little baby girl Gracious is ok and home now. We pray she will have a full recovery and not suffer from anymore seizures. I brought her some of Liam's clothes, sleepers and socks. Trufosa was so grateful and we shared some millet porridge (uji: "oojee").

Monday was our final play group all together! The other Missionary kids and moms are here for two years, but we all arrived around the same time, in the fall and winter. These girls have been great friends for me and I will miss them. The three families make up a group of physicians who have committed to serving together in Africa. They are currently seeking the Lord and doing research on where they should plant roots. Their last names are McLaughlin, Cropsey, and Fader, so they lovingly call themselves The McCropDers.

Here outside our house is Heather Fader with Abi and Anna, Me with Liam, Rachel McLaughlin with Maggie, and Jessica Cropsey with Elise and Micah. I set out what food and toiletries I had left and they went "shopping" at the Banks Market! We are hoping to leave as much as possible here for others to use and enjoy.

Last night we had Nancy and Alfred over for dinner and chai. It just so happened that Alfred's brother, Raymond, (the short one) as well as Nancy's cousin Robert, (the tall one) were also visiting. So, we had a big group!

I served Taco Soup with rice and chapati (that I actually made myself!). Usually Nancy makes our chapati because she had been making it since she was a little girl, but I wanted to make sure I could do it before we go home, so I made her leave the kitchen and let me do it! I should have started practicing much earlier, but it is a long process, so I was always happy to have Nancy's help before. They tasted fine, but were a little "crunchier" than hers. I asked at dinner what I did wrong and she said she will tell me in private. Raymond agreed that is "women's talk." They all got a kick out of washing their hands in our sink with soap and drinking soda with the meal.

After dinner, we enjoyed chai while we looked at pictures of our Kericho trip and remembered the fun times. They kept saying "I shall remember those days." They each thanked us and asked us to come back soon and forever. We gave them a suitcase that was left behind by Riley and Luke when they visited. It was broken, but is fixable locally. They were so happy and surprised! But, the bigger surprise was inside where I had stuffed it with several of Liam's clothes, socks, blankets, toys, and some food. Most of Liam's things were gifts to us, and I know all our family and friends would be more than happy for these items to be passed on to some Kenyans who are in need of such things. Other clothes will be given to an orphanage.

Nancy and Alfred recently found out they are having a boy! They have decided to name their son Kipchumba, which means "born when whites are around." Although we will not be here when she delivers in July, we have arranged for a friend to take pictures and send them to us. They have been a wonderful bridge to the Kenyan culture in which we have been living. We told them they are like our Kenyan family and they thought that was so funny and said "oh but we are so dark!" We had a lovely evening full of laughter.

Today is our last full day and we will be busy packing and doing last minute things. (In fact, I should not be spending this much time blogging right now!) Tonight we have dinner with the Manchesters, who have been wonderful friends and mentors while we have been here. Steve is a Family Practice doctor and Teresa leads the weekly bible study I have enjoyed. Pictured with them here is Peter, one of their three sons.

Goodbyes are always sad, and of course we are not looking forward to the flight ahead of us! This could possibly be our last blog before we fly out tomorrow night. Please pray for us, and especially Liam, on this long journey we face. We look forward to seeing family and friends very soon!

Last day on Medicine

2010-05-31T02:45:00.001-05:00

Friday was essentially my last day at the hospital. I have not been so good about taking my camera and capturing interesting cases or images, but I thought I should at least try on my last day. Here are just a few snapshots of some typical Tenwek diseases.

Ascaris. This worm emerged from a child who in fact had not even been treated for worms. The young boy is a trauma patient that had a head injury, and was on a ventilator in the ICU. I'm assuming the worm just got hungry after a few days, and crawled out of his body in search of food.

TB meningitis. This Maasai man looks great now and will be going home. What a contrast from the comatose state he was in when he arrived. It is amazing what just a few days of TB meds can do in these cases.

Kaposi's sarcoma. This patient had a CD4 count of about 30. This picture was taken after about a week of treatment, and the lesions were already starting to get smaller. He also had a lesion on the roof of his mouth, which you can see from our Picasa photo gallery.

Chips & Salsa!

2010-05-30T03:30:00.001-05:00

As Logan and I are preparing to leave Kenya, we find ourselves talking about home a little bit more. We are remembering what life was like, and frankly, the everyday things are so much easier! For instance , in the US enjoying the most simple snack, chips and salsa, involves popping open a jar of salsa and ripping into a bag of Tostitos. Oh wait, you have to drive to the store first and make the big decision of what brand of salsa you want. I forgot that step!

Here in Africa it is a little more difficult! We have to make our own tortillas in order to make our our tortilla chips! I combine flour, baking soda, salt, and water then knead it for 5 minutes. Kneading is the key to a good tortilla. Then I make about 20 little dough balls and roll them out as flat as I can. After that, they each get fried on both sides on a dry skillet. If things are moving right along, this process takes about two hours.

I then cut the fresh tortillas into triangles, brush with olive oil and lemon juice (no limes locally here). I sprinkle a little salt, cumin, and paprika on them for a slight kick and into the oven they go!

Now for salsa! I throw Liam on my back and we go down the hill to the woman who grows cilantro. Mmmm. Now we walk up the hill to the vegetable ladies who are ready to haggle for a good price. We buy tomatoes, onion, garlic, green peppers and a lemon. After convincing them that Liam does not need any mangoes at this time, we walk back down the hill to our home.

We have to wash our vegetables in a bleach-like solution and rinse with rainwater that has been filtered. After they are dry, I start chopping! I don't have a blender, so my salsa is the chunky kind! I dice tomatoes, onion, garlic, green peppers and cilantro. I add vinegar, cumin, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Of course we taste it along the way to make sure it is just right!

So now, half a day later, our chips and salsa are ready to enjoy! We have learned to savor every bite because it takes so much time and effort to make. Homemade chips and salsa taste much better than store bought because of the fresh ingredients and the effort that goes into it. Logan wants to dig in right away, but I insist on trying to arrange the chips and salsa so that I have a beautiful presentation. It's the least I can do! I will never view this "simple" snack in the same way again!

Ballet Class - Video Link!

2010-05-28T01:57:00.001-05:00

We had our final ballet class yesterday. Our ballet class has been meeting every Thursday afternoon for one hour for the past 5 months. This last class was just a celebration of our wonderful performance last week and a time to party! The girls made Thank You cards for me, or should I say "Asante Sana" cards.

We have our class in the raquetball court with a small weight room attached. The girls love it because it is big and it echoes! I will miss these sweet girls pictured here. Back row next to me: Elizabeth, Claire, Lydia. Front Row: Bella, Anna, Anna.

The parents of Anna Fader (the youngest one) were able to upload a video of the performance on to YouTube. We could not believe it! Normally it is impossible to upload a video, or anything using that much bandwidth. But, here is the link of our performance at the Fine Arts Festival last week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_85C9y3Bcc

In case you missed our blog about the Tenwek Fine Arts Festival, click here.

Enjoy!

Dinner with the Towetts

2010-05-26T00:28:00.008-05:00

Last night we had the pleasure of having dinner with a wonderful Kenyan family, the Towetts. Perhaps we would not have met them at all had it not been for our friends and fellow Missionaries, the Dooleys.

Scott Dooley and his family are working at Kudjip Hospital in Papua New Guinea. He and Logan graduated from the same Residency in Springfield. They were on furlough last December, and we had them over right before we left to come to Tenwek. They had been to Tenwek in 2001, while Scott was still in residency, and became close friends with the Towetts during that trip.

We were thrilled to join the Towetts for dinner and sort of "represent" the Dooleys. Phillip met us on the road and escorted us back to his house in a nearby village. Anne had called me the night before to cancel because the walk is so muddy, but I insisted that we are used to the Kenyan mud now!

I am glad she did finally agree to let us take the walk because we had a wonderful dinner of beef and carrot stew, rice, cooked cabbage, chapati, and what we would call guacamole. They even served us Coke!

Phillip and Anne have come a long way since being Peds nurses when they met the Dooleys years ago. Phillip now teaches Community Health in the Nursing School and Anne is the Head Matron (Nursing Officer in charge of all nurses at the hospital). So basically we were dining with a couple of the uppity-ups here! Conversation flowed easily as he told us how his daughter Faith, who is away at Boarding School in Bomet, and the Dooley's daughter, Allison, became friends and penpals.

Liam talked and talked the whole time. He was constantly on the go running in and out of the kitchen. Phillip and the kids were great with him. He complimented us on the "training of our child," but I was a little uneasy because Liam has just started this squealing/screaming thing when he gets excited. At times he will literally scream as loud as he can! Kenyans kids are so quiet, but Ezra and Mercy quickly warmed up to this loud little boy and played right along!

After dinner we were, of course, served chai. The Kenyans drink it boiling hot literally, but Phillip is used to Americans needing it cooler. Instead of poking fun like some others do, he very kindly poured our chai into a metal bowl, swished it around and carefully poured it back into our mug. This made it the perfect temperature! I found that very thoughtful and hospitable.

It was a great dinner with a great couple. They have been very loyal to Tenwek for many years. We pray many blessings to come for Phillip, Anne, Faith, Mercy and Ezra.

Sunday School

2010-05-25T00:50:00.000-05:00

We only have one more Sunday left here in Kenya! It has been such an experience being a part of the local church here. It is surprisingly Western feeling during the service, but we do sing a couple Swahili songs a week. Please click here for a story you don't want to miss about one of the men's meetings after church recently. Things like this remind us that we are in fact in an African church.

I have had the opportunity to teach the children a couple times, and this Sunday was my last. We started outside with all the kids ages 6-12. Dr. Bemm had an object lesson to illustrate sin. Using an interpretor, he divided the kids into two groups facing each other. He had two boys stand at the front of the groups facing each other with a full cup of water. They pretended like they were angry with each other and threw the water on the other one. Of course, many kids got wet! This showed that when we sin against another person, it hurts not only that person, but will also hurt many people. I think the kids got it, and of course had fun being outside!

I then took the 6-8 year olds up to the hospital cafeteria and told them the story of Adam and Eve and the very first sin. It was nothing new to these kids, but I tried to make it exciting by acting out the whole thing playing the roles of Eve, Satan, Adam, and the voice of God. The kids got some laughs, but I know they were into it because when Eve finally gave in and took a bite of the fruit, all the kids gasped and some said "Noooo!"

We memorized Romans 6:23 as well. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Here is a small video clip of them learning the verse. You can also tell how they do speak English, but with a heavy accent that you have to tune your ear to hear.

Time was up before I knew it and we all headed back outside where Dr. Bemm was letting the kids have a shot at him with the water! This of course made their day!

Thanks again to Logan for keeping Liam while I help out with the kids. It's kind of a struggle since there is no nursery or anything for the babies, but we just take turns being responsible for him. In the end it is worth the sacrifice and I pray these children hide the Word in their hearts all the days of their lives.

So Long, Farewell, Kwaheri and Goodbye!

2010-05-24T00:18:00.009-05:00

Saturday was the much anticipated Tenwek Fine Arts Festival. This is an event where the Missionary Kids who homeschool really get to shine. They are bright kids and the moms here to an amazing job of giving them an excellent education.

These 5 months I have been here, I have been giving a ballet class every Thursday afternoon. I have 6 students ages 4-9. The girls have absolutely loved it, and so have I! I taught them the basic positions of the arms and feet, and a few other beginning ballet skills. The girls like the ballet, but what they really look forward to is the last 15 minutes of class when we have fun dancing to songs like the Duck Dance, Hokey Pokey, etc.

I choreographed a dance to Over the Rainbow for them to perform at Fine Arts. They all pooled together what pink tu-tus and things they had, and they ended up looking like a real little dance group! They loved putting their hair up in a bun, and some of them even wore a little make-up! What more fun could a little girl possibly have? They did a great job and opened up the Fine Arts Festival beautifully.

I volunteered to be in charge of this year's Fine Arts Festival, even though I had never been to this event before! I heard the buzz word "fine art" and I was in! The families here have been doing this for years, but only recently has it been held in the newest wing of the hospital where there is a beautiful glass atrium shaped like Kenya and an auditorium meeting the US standards.

There are about 13 kids ages 5-13 homeschooled here at Tenwek. The older brothers and sisters go to Rift Valley Academy, a boarding school about 3 hours away. For that reason I really have not gotten to know the high schoolers very well. But, the younger ones I have grown to love! They all had the opportunity to present something in the program. It was a variety of music and recitation. Wil hammed it up with a poem called A Tragic Story.

A few students recited scripture from just one verse for the kindergartener, to the whole first chapter of James for the middle schooler. A couple students played the piano for us as well.

I even involved the students who were not in the program by having them run the sound, and move the piano on and off stage. Of course I even rehearsed the piano going on and off stage as much as I rehearsed any other act! No detail is too small!

For our finale, I got the kids who were interested together and prepared the song So Long, Farewell from The Sound of Music. The kids had a great time learning the actions and even having a small solo each. We did it very similar to the movie, except we changed a couple of lyrics including substituting Auf wiedersehn for Kwaheri, which is "goodbye" in Swahili.

The hills of Tenwek have been "alive with the sound of music" these past couple of weeks leading up to the festival. The kids would all get together to watch the movie and you would hear that song being hummed many times. What fun!

For the ones whose skills are not in performing, they were able to show off by setting up a booth in the Atrium. The kids presented art projects, writing assignments, and anything else that they accomplished during the school year. We all milled around and asked the kids questions, and they were more than happy to tell us all about how hard they worked on their projects.

Of course this was right up my alley, and a blast for me to be involved with. Unfortunately my learning curve was too large to completely relieve the other moms, but I did organize what happened on stage including rehearsals, sound, and making sure the kids dressed up! If only I were going to be here next year... I already have ideas!

It was a great evening for all the Missionaries to get together, celebrate the end of the school year, and just love on the kids. We all brought a snack to share and James even made his special lattes!

Liam was mostly interested in just getting dirty on the ground and exploring a new place. Logan and I kind of switched places this weekend because I was at the hospital setting up and rehearsing most of Friday and Saturday, while he was feeding, changing, and playing with Liam. I think Liam didn't mind having a couple Daddy Days though! Things are always more fun with DaDa!

Medical Education

2010-05-21T12:39:00.005-05:00

Tenwek Hospital, located in rural Kenya, is a teaching hospital, training interns as well as Family Medicine and Surgical residents. It is associated with Moi Medical School; however, the school is several hours away. There are actually several similarities between Tenwek and where I did my Family Medicine Residency in Springfield, Missouri. Cox hospital, located in rural Southwest Missouri, is home to a Family Medicine program. There is no medical school in Springfield, although we have ties to the University of Missouri in Columbia, several hours away.

A lot of similarities can be found between my medical education and that of the Kenyans training at Tenwek, but there are many differences as well. A Kenyan goes to primary, secondary, and then High School. These are not government sponsored, and all have fees associated with them. Before pursuing higher education, a Kenyan is required to take a year or two off, presumably to work and gain some broader experience. Then based on grades and test scores, they may qualify to enter medical school. This is a 5- or 6-year program, depending on the school. Then they get posted by the government to a hospital to do an internship. Kenyan physicians are called Medical Officers. There is also another form of healthcare professional training called Clinical Officers (think Physician Assistants). Tenwek currently takes 16 interns a year (a mix of M.O. and C.O. interns). These recent Med School graduates rotate in four specialties (Surgery, Peds, OB, and Medicine) for three months at a time. Here are some of the interns at a recent didactic lecture.

After internship, an M.O. will then usually work as a generalist in a district hospital. After two years of service, an M.O. is then eligible to apply to a residency, if they so desire. Tenwek has two residency programs, Family Medicine and General Surgery. Tenwek has graduated two Family Physician consultants (read "attendings"), and there are two FM residents currently in their first year of residency here. It is a three-year program, sponsored through Moi University, and includes full-scope training, including surgery. One of the recent graduates is now the Medical Superintendent at a local district hospital, essentially straight out of residency.

This adds a whole new dimension to what can be done with medical missions. It is one thing for an American doctor to travel abroad and see patients. But when one gets involved in education, the work of one physician can be multiplied through the interns and residents to have an even larger impact on the health of that country. For more on how this is being done in Kenya, check out the Infa-Med website.

There are multiple opportunities for education at Tenwek. The many physicians and surgeons that have visited Tenwek over the years have led to the development of a rather impressive medical library, so interns can read up on virtually any topic. Of course, there are always teachable moments while rounding on the wards. And there are several didactic sessions scheduled throughout the week, including a daily morning report and various lectures over the lunch hour.

This week I presented a lunch-time lecture on Hemostasis and Thrombosis. I tried to balance the lecture between teaching them the labs, tests, and treatments that are ideal and based on the best evidence, and the diagnostic and treatment difficulties they face in this resource-limited setting. Diagnosing DVT or PE, for example, with no D-dimer, no color-flow doppler, no CT scan (or even V/Q), is quite challenging.

I have really enjoyed the opportunity to be involved in education while I have been here, which is something I am passionate about. While it will be hard for me to leave in just a couple weeks now, I look forward to bringing this experience back to Springfield with me when I join the faculty at the Cox Family Medicine Residency.

Day at the Salon

2010-05-20T04:45:00.006-05:00

Nancy has been a big help for me since we have been at Tenwek. She is expecting and is due in a little over a month. I remembered my last month of being pregnant with Liam. I was tired, huge, clumsy, and aching all over! I think Nancy is experiencing the same things (along with every third trimester woman!) So, I gave her the opportunity to only work part-time if she wanted. She was so thankful when I brought it up that she jumped at the opportunity.

Now she can rest as she needs to, and can just help with the laundry a couple times a week or babysits Liam at the house if I need to go out. It is more work for me, but it has really worked out well overall.

Today is one of Nancy's days off and she told me she was going to the salon to get her hair braided. Liam and I decided to take a walk up to the Dukas and hang out at the Salon!

Not all women get their hair braided, or plated. Some just wear it natural, shaved, or under a kerchief most of the time. Nancy braids her hair about once a month as time and money allows. There are several salons in our small village, but this was the first one I actually went into.

There are so many types and styles of plating! Most women know exactly what they want. The salons have pictures on the wall of the styles the stylist is capable of doing. It was fun watching the stylist work so quickly. She divides the hair into tiny sections, braids a little, then adds some hair extensions into the braid. Nancy would add oil to her scalp to ease the pain.

They think it is so weird that I can just let the wind dry my hair. Also, it is different that I wash my hair multiple times in a week! I explained that many women wash their hair everyday. To that, Nancy just shook her head and said, "Imagine."

Liam wasn't too sure of a day with the girls at the Salon. Maybe it was a little too giggly and gossipy for him!

He kept busy with his friend, Dorcas. She is 2 years old and is one of our neighbors. She kept saying "Liam! Liam! Liam!" while they banged on big jugs outside.

Overall, we had a great day at the salon! By the end, Liam was even "helping" braid some hair.

Strong-Willed Warrior

2010-05-19T00:20:00.005-05:00

William Justice Banks was given that name for a couple reasons. Logan and I both have Williams in our family, so we liked the idea of keeping it in the family. We love the name Liam, keeping with Logan's Irish roots, and it is a unique nickname of William. But, the main reason we named him what we did is the meaning of his name. Liam (and William) means Strong Warrior, or Strong-Willed Warrior. So when you throw the Justice in there, we just thought it was a recipe for a strong, and really cool, name.

Liam is now starting to learn, and live up to, his name. I forgot to mention something that he did when we visited Umoja Orphanage. I was explaining the song Jesus Is My Superhero to the kids by telling them that Jesus is Strong, Mighty, and All-Powerful. I asked them if they were strong and said, "Show me your muscles and say STRONG!" They did, then I heard a little "STAOO" behind me and turned around and Liam was showing off his muscles! All the kids laughed.

This morning Logan and I were laughing about that, and wondered if Liam remembered. Sure enough! Here are two videos of my little strong one showing off his muscles.

Our 'Hood

2010-05-16T12:46:00.015-05:00

Just a few pictures of our neighborhood kids. They are loud and silly, just like American kids.

None but the oldest children understand much English besides "What is your name?" and "How are you?" But their favorite English word is "Liam! "Liam!"

They all want to hold him, but Liam wants to run and jump and play!

Many times they are out "basking" in the grass when I take Liam out to play. They quickly mob him and Liam says "Jump! Jump!" and they all start jumping together. Liam is the smallest, but he tries to do everything these kids do.

Most Kenyan 14 month olds would still be treated very much like a baby and be tied to their mother or sister's back all day, or just sit on the ground or bed in the house. These children are mostly left to play by themselves all day with no supervision. I have noticed that American moms keep a much tighter reign on her kids than a Kenyan mom. Many of these kids may also have to cook their own meals if the parents are out working.

I used to worry that Liam would get sick or catch something from the kids. They obviously do not take meds when they get the sniffles, and do not wash their hands with soap. But I praise God that Liam has remained healthy the whole time we have been here. Of course kids don't think about germs or anything, they just play!

Our porch is a favorite play spot for them. They smash their faces against the window to catch a glimpse of what is going on inside our home. They love to watch us eat. Liam is so nice to them! He just turns around in his highchair and says "Hi!" Some things that Liam eats everyday like cheese and berry yogurt, these children could quite possibly go their whole childhood without eating.

I know when we leave, they will miss Liam dearly! And he will miss them too!

Umoja Orphanage

2010-05-16T03:07:00.015-05:00

A great thing about Tenwek is that it attracts a lot of wonderful physicians from all over the United States to come for short, or long, periods of time. Unfortunately, being at home with Liam, I don't get the chance to meet many of the Physicians that are here only one or two weeks. Logan gets to work with them, or at least meets them during morning report every day at the hospital.

But one physician who is visiting now, Dr. Paul Jarrett OB, I have had the pleasure of meeting several times. He shared his testimony with a group of us last week and Logan and I had him over for homemade pizza Friday night.

Dr. Jarrett has served at Tenwek off and on for 10 years. He and his wife and their 10 children (!!!) would come for 6 months on, 6 months off every year. They started several ministries through the years, one of which is an orphanage, Umoja. They felt not only a medical calling, but also a call to help the homeless and abandoned children in this area.

Dr. Jarrett invited us, the McLaughlins, and a few others to accompany him on a visit to Umoja Orphanage this weekend. Logan was not on call, so we gladly accepted. It is not far, maybe 15 minutes by car at the most. When we arrived we were greeted with applause from the children lined up at the gate to welcome us. As we exited the car, every child and adult came forward to shake our hands and say hello. I did my best to greet them in Kipsigis, but most of them just giggled.

Dr. Jarrett had a glow about him all day. He was home. This was his heart. What a joy to see the place through his eyes, knowing the prayers, sweat, and money behind making Umoja possible.

Dr. Jarrett and Joseph, a Kenyan who runs Umoja, gave us the grand tour. They showed us the school room, which had hand-written signs and a few printed posters hung on the otherwise bare walls. I couldn't help but think back to my elementary classrooms which were so intricately decorated by the teachers with posters, fabric, and brightly colored signs with the alphabet, numbers, etc. These students sit on wooden benches, or perhaps the floor if there is not enough room. Considering many of their backgrounds, these boys and girls are very fortunate to receive an education at all.

We were shown the dorms next. Joseph again thanked Dr. Jarrett for giving the kids trunks and boxes to keep their things in. Dr. Jarrett said, "Oh that was many years ago." Joseph said, "These are the ones! They are still here!" It is so special for each child to have something they can call their own.

The mattresses at Umoja are very, very nice. They are wrapped in a plastic covering, which helps them last longer with the little ones wetting the bed. Major fundraising had been done in the States to get these mattresses, and Dr. Jarrett was so excited to see the good condition of them.

We toured the grounds while Joseph pointed out the large rainwater tank they are blessed with. There are half PVC pipes running from the gutters of all the buildings into the tank.

They even have a water filter, so the children are able to drink very clean water. What a rare blessing!

Joseph has a small farm at Umoja where his chickens produce eggs that help support the orphanage. Many missionary families buy his eggs each week. Liam was mostly interested in the sheep. He had heard Mommy and Daddy's "baaa" when we read him his animal books, but hearing it in person was something else! He loved "baaaa"ing back and forth with the sheep.

We then went into their meeting room where we sat facing the children. They sang us several songs while we enjoyed chai.

Dr. Jarrett gave the kids a sucker while he shared a little bit and showed them pictures of his family back home. Then Joseph, his mother, and his wife spoke. This is when we lost Liam! The great outdoors was calling to him!

He wasn't into sitting quietly, so we played and explored outside with Lawrence, our driver. Liam barked at their dog, played with Lawrence's hat, and got a couple scrapes on his knee from the rocky terrain.

When we returned to the meeting room, Dr. Jarrett asked if I would teach the kids a song. He had seen our Mother's Day program and said these kids would love it. So, I pulled out the trusty ole Jesus is My Superhero and the kids jumped right in.

They are very quiet and well behaved, but when the music came on, they really smiled and danced along. They asked me to write the words for them so they can sing it again and again.

What a joy to take a break from what we do everyday to see what these Kenyans have committed their lives to doing in service to the Lord. There are about 40 children living at the orphanage, with many more asking to come and live there.

Joseph told me there are only two empty beds at Umoja. These children have lost their parents for many different reasons, but we can be assured that they are loved, fed, educated, and told about Jesus Christ.

Please pray not only for Tenwek, but its other ministries including the village Medical Clinics Logan has visited and orphanages like Mosop and Umoja where some of God's sweetest children live.

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
Mark 10:14-16

Liam's World

2010-05-14T00:06:00.010-05:00

Logan has been busy lately, going out to the village, taking OB call, and on the Medicine wards. Not many "life-changing" things are going on around the house, except that Liam's life is constantly changing: growing, learning, and saying new words.

One of these new words, "hello" goes right along with something he loves to do: play with the phone! He has not called anyone yet (that we know of). Luckily there is a page button on the phone base because he's hidden it a few times. Oh, speaking of pager, yesterday from out of no where Liam looked at Logan's pager on his "bet" (belt) clip and said "pager" and pushed the buttons which made it go to vibrate. He loves any gadget. He always tries to play on the computer, and when he sees his face on the wallpaper, he says "Niam".

We are pretty sure that he is about to pop out tooth number 4. He is restless at night, and we can see it right under the gum. That will make 3 on top and 1 on bottom. When he teethes, he tends to get loose stools, which leads to diaper rash, which leads to a little naked time so his bottom can "air out." I gave him some diaper-free time yesterday while I was putting the laundry away. It was pouring rain, so we had to be inside anyways. I was busy in the dresser drawers and Liam said "Moaney. Moaney." (Which is Liamese for "raining.") I said "Yeah, buddy I know. It's raining." Then I thought, wait he can't see outside right now. I looked at him and he stood confused looking down at the increasing puddle around his feet. He looked up at me and again said "Moaney." These are the times I do not mind having concrete floors throughout our house!

He continues to just love everything that Logan is and does. After his morning milk, he loves to climb on Daddy to wake him up and play the face game. He grabs Logan's nose and says, "doze." He continues around Daddy's "bace" with his "eye," "eyebaw" (brow), "ohr" (ear) and "hohr" (hair). He knows where the mouth is, but I don't think I have heard him say it yet. Next he searches for Daddy and Mommy's "bella" (bellybutton).

Then he munches on some Loopy Nuts (Kenyan Honey Nut Cheerios) while Mommy makes coffee. He loves the box because it has a big gray "Ella" on the front. He recently has started to do the Elephant noise like I showed him while raising his hand up like a trunk. So adorable. His favorite breakfast is "eddy", which is great because Logan and I both love the fresh eggs around here too.

As soon as Daddy sits down to the table, Liam claps his hands together and says, "ssss." We are not sure why, but this means pray. The only thing we can think is that we say, "Let's pray," and he hears the s sound most, or he picks out the s's in Jesus during the prayer. Speaking of prayer, every nap and bedtime, we sing Jesus Loves Me right before I lay him down. It is so sweet because he sings along saying "bibuh, bibuh" picking out the "Bible tells me so" in the beginning and end.

When I get him out of bed, he searches for his giraffe and lifts it up for me to kiss on the nose. He calls giraffes "raja." So, basically he is switching the r and the g sound. Logan has lovingly nicknamed his giraffe "Roger".

Soon after he wakes up from a nap, we have a snack of a "nana" (banana) and perhaps some Chapati, which is his newest word - "Pati". He doesn't sit for long though, he is always eager to go "souside" and moo at the "tows," bark at the "doddy," or watch the "boidy" fly high into the "tee."

He knows right where I keep his shoes (on the mantle where he can't reach them). Often he will stand right under them, stretch his hand up and say "shoes," which sounds a lot like the way he says "juice".

Our day is filled with bowls on the head, playing with cars and trucks (anything with wheels is a "dado" -- don't even ask me where he got that). He also likes playing with blocks ("balk") and helping mommy put away laundry (usually he helps by unfolding it). He loves socks "ssssah" and pants "piz."

He drags them around the house, hides under them, and gets all tangled up! He is like my own wise little Yoda with me all day!

He loves to read his "boot". His favorite book right now is a Sesame Street book called Let's Share. He says "bebby" when Elmo shares his seat with a mom and her babies, he puts his mouth on the page when Grover shares a pear, and at every page turn helps me read the book by saying "Shayoh" (share).

Every nap time and night time, he shuffles through a small pile of books and finds Let's Share for me to read again and again. After I finish he takes it from me, says "doww," hops down from my lap and puts it back with the others. He rummages through the stack again and finds, you guessed it, Let's Share! He gives it back to me asking "boot?" I have had to start only letting him choose it three times. Otherwise he would never go to bed!

Let's hope he is really learning what the book is saying and can be polite and "shayoh" with the other kids at Tenwek!

Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go change Liam's "diapo."

Hospice at Tenwek

2010-05-13T03:40:00.009-05:00

Wednesday I had the pleasure of joining one of the long-term Family Practice missionaries here, Dr. Steve Manchester, on his Hospice visits in the villages surrounding Tenwek.

Before we left the hospital that morning, in lieu of morning report, the physicians split up into prayer groups and went around the hospital to pray for the nursing staff. The hospital is going through a nursing crisis, with several nurses deciding to leave the hospital to go to government posts where they can make more money. I was with Rachel McLaughlin, an OB/Gyn here with the Samaritan's Purse post-residency program, Dr. Bergert, a gastroenterologist who is in his first term here, and Dr. Jarrett, an OB who has been here off and on for over 10 years. We started out praying for the nurses working in the ICU. It was a blessing to us, and I know an encouragement to the nurses, to come and pray for them while they were working. After we finished, we also prayed for the patients in our 6-bed ICU.

Soon after, Steve and I, along with the Hospice organizer and a hospital chaplain, headed out to the village to see the patients. People here do not have "addresses" so sometimes it can be tricky to find the person you are looking for. If you know the village area, and the name of the Chief, you can usually find someone who knows the patient. The Hospice team had visited all these patients before, so we had no problems. Our trip started on a sad note: we were supposed to see a new patient, but were notified that morning that they had already died.

There are about 70 patients registered with the Hospice program. We saw five patients during the course of the day. We came upon one of our patients resting under a tree outside. He said he used to work for the Kenyan Forest Service, and felt more comfortable out among the trees.

He has esophageal cancer, an unusually common diagnosis in this region of Kenya (3 of the 5 patients we visited have this type of cancer). Steve and I took some time talking with him and his family about his condition. The chaplain read some scripture and prayed. His family knew we were coming, and had prepared "lunch" for us, which consisted of a cup of freshly boiled milk.

It was amazing to see how we warmly we were received everywhere we went. The Hospice ministry provides ongoing support for terminal patients and their families, and the love of Christ shines through that. I heard several stories during this trip about patients, or family members, who were stubborn and ill-tempered, but came to the Lord through the continued love and service provided by the hospice team. I think our being there meant as much to the families as it did to the patients. It was a comfort for the family to know they wouldn't have to care for their dying loved one all by themselves. A young girl in the village really clung to me and would hold my hand anytime it was free! Steve teased me that I had found a village girlfriend. We were warmly welcomed and treated like family at every house we visited.

Because so much of the visit was spoken in Kipsigis, I did find myself feeling culturally isolated at times. But one thing that transcends any language is the eternal love of God.

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

--2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Village Doctor

2010-05-11T01:29:00.007-05:00

While I am on the Medicine service this month, I am also taking the opportunity to do some "extra-curricular" activities. Tenwek operates some local dispensaries, and I've gone out a couple times to staff those clinics. It's been a great experience. Last week I went to Ngito, and this week I went to Kaboson.

The trip out to Ngito (pronounced en-GEE-toe) took about an hour, half of the time on paved roads and half on rocky terrain. We actually drove a Tenwek ambulance to get out there, which the guy actually let me drive!

These dispensaries run much like an outpatient clinic. I saw some "typical" diseases here, like helminthiasis, scabies, STDs, typhoid, pneumonia (which you have to diagnose clinically here, no x-rays or CBC's in the bush). One kid comes in monthly for his penicillin injection because of his rheumatic heart disease.

Besides the tropical diseases, there is the standard chronic disease management, like hypertension and diabetes. This lady actually had both conditions, and I was helping adjust her medications.

I also saw some prenatal patients. This lady is around 24 weeks, and doing well.

There are some differences between prenatal care here and in the US. At 24 weeks we usually do a glucola test, and give rhogam if she is rh negative. Here, instead of doing either of those things, we just give empiric malaria treatment. Welcome to the tropics!

Oh yeah, and I got some practice using the fetoscope!

I saw about 15-20 patients at Ngito, which I think was a quiet day. I actually didn't get out there until around 1:00, so this would actually be a pretty busy afternoon in the States. One thing that makes visits simpler here is the charting system (I wrote about a half paragraph per patient on a 4x6 card)

I was also able to use my Osteopathic manipulative skills to help this patient with some upper back pain she had been having for a couple weeks following an upper respiratory infection.

The Kaboson clinic ran much the same way as Ngito. We saw 20-25 patients in an afternoon.

The nurses and staff live on the grounds of the clinic, and someone is on call 24 hours a day out there. They do around 15 deliveries a month, and have a small inpatient ward for postpartum patients.

Even the occasional emergency will present while you're in clinic (just like in the States, I suppose). This child had cut his foot a week ago, and had been to the clinic at Kaboson for treatment at that time. Perhaps it was the nurse on-call that night who saw him. They had sewn it up, and put him on antibiotics, but his foot still got infected. By the time I saw him, part of his foot was turning black. He had no feeling in his toes, and he couldn't move his foot. I sent him directly to Tenwek, and I heard later he went straight to the theatre for debridement. Please pray everything turns out well for him, and he gets to keep his foot.

It felt good to be in the outpatient clinic again, something I haven't done in several months. I had a great time practicing rural tropical medicine, exploring the Kenyan countryside, and caring for the people in these villages.

Super Kids in the Army of God!

2010-05-10T00:54:00.011-05:00

For the past three weeks I have had the pleasure of working with the kids at our local church here, the Bethesda AGC (Africa Gospel Church) located on the hospital campus. We have been preparing a special skit to perform in the service on Mother's Day.

About 40 kids have been coming to rehearsals for three weeks on Sunday afternoons, rain or shine. Many of these kids have to walk quite a distance to come. Their dedication and willingness was encouraging for me when I would walk with Liam on my back in the pouring rain to get to rehearsal, even just the short distance I have to walk! People talk about "Africa time", but I will tell you, when it came to our play rehearsal, I was usually the last to arrive! The kids were there and ready to sing.

We practiced in a small meeting room at the hospital. I taught them two Hillsong Kids songs, On the March and Superhero. They also memorized some scripture (with actions). A few of the kids had speaking parts and did amazing!

Todd, an engineer who is spending a year at Tenwek working on some building projects, was a huge help, and star of the skit. He, as "Action Man", had lost all of his superpowers. He came to the Super Kids Army of God Training Camp to find his strength. (cue On the March - we put on the full armor of God).

He found out from the kids that even youths grow tired and weary, but their strength comes from the Lord. (Isaiah 40:29-31) And when Action Man put his trust in the Lord, he found out that Jesus is the real Superhero! (and cue music - Jesus is My Superhero)

I was the "drill sergeant" at the Super Kids Army of God Training Camp. So, I led the songs, dialogued with Action Man, and kept the recruits in line! I wish I had brought all my fun camo gear. But, with the long skirt rule and all, the best I could do was my old high school Student Council shirt and a cargo skirt borrowed from a friend!

Both of these Hillsong songs I have led before at Jamesriver Kids back home. But, it was so neat to hear these sweet Kenyan kids sing the words in their accent. Many of the kids do not really know English at all, or not very well. But they did amazing! The moms loved it too.

All in all, the kids did a great job and had fun being part of the service! A few of the kids stood on stage during worship and sang on mic which they thought was pretty cool.

Joel, one of the older Missionary Kids played piano during the offering and did a great job!

The kids handed out roses to all the women of church, and then a few of us handed roses out to some moms and nurses in the hospital.

So Mother's Day wasn't exactly "a day of rest" for me, but so rewarding nonetheless! I guess being a mother in general is not "restful," but full of rewards both here and now, and to come in Heaven. Praise the Lord for all of his wonderful children!

Happy Mother's Day, Granny and Mimi!

2010-05-08T08:59:00.009-05:00

Today is a special day! Mommy and Daddy always tell me, "No-no, Liam!" if I ever get too close to the computer, but since it is Mother's Day, Mommy must be in a good mood. Plus, I really miss Granny and Mimi!

Mommy said they both helped take care of me from the very beginning when I was still in the hospital. They changed a lot of diapers those first few days!

I love showing off for Granny on Skype! Daddy says that he is her baby, but Daddy doesn't wear diapers, so he can't be a baby. I'm the baby of the family! I can't wait to explore your big yard and climb trees like my Daddy and Uncles did. I miss you, Granny!

Mommy also says that she is Mimi's baby. Tell Mommy that I'm the baby! Mimi, Do you remember last year when you took Mommy and Me to Firehouse Pottery to make my first hand print art project? I know you have a lot of fun projects planned for us to do when we get to your house. Can I play in your garden?

I miss Granny and Mimi and can't wait to give them big kisses!
Happy Mother's Day!

Pretty Bows and a Fresh Coat of Paint

2010-05-08T01:11:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I actually got to use a little of my interest in decorating at the hospital. Jessica, the wife of the Ophthalmologist here, John Cropsey asked me to come take a look at John's office, exam room and the Eye Ward to see if I had any design suggestions. I had never been to the Eye Ward before. His exam room is kind of "dungeony" so we brainstormed ideas of what they could do in there, and in the rest of the ward to brighten it up. Little resources are available, but Jess could do some shopping in Nairobi for some things, but mostly a fresh coat of paint does a lot to any space!

While we were there, something happened that has not happened to me yet. Jess, Liam and I walked into the Eye Ward and I heard blood curdling screaming. It was painful to even hear! I quickly surveyed the room and saw a little boy about 6 years old squatting beside a bed. My instinct was to rush to him, but he was looking right at me and I figured out we were the reason he was screaming. Jess and I excused ourselves to another room to give him time to talk with his family. A translator came to us in a few minutes with the father of the boy. He apologized and said that this family is from deep in Masai country and this small boy had never seen a white person before. Perhaps he did not even know that people exist that look different. They explained to the crying boy that we are the same, and that our skin is just lighter. I took Liam out of his backpack and walked slowly back into the room. I set Liam down so the boy could see that he is just a child like him. The father shook my hand and even picked Liam up. Liam swiped the man's hat and tried to put it on Mommy's head. This made the boy laugh and he allowed his father to bring Liam to him. He would not look at him directly, or touch him, but at least he was not screaming.

As we walked out, I told Jess that probably seeing a white baby in my backpack contraption would be the equivalent to seeing an alien in a shiny silver space suit or something. Tenwek is large enough that theoretically a patient could come in, get treated, and leave without seeing a Westerner. This child would eventually be examined by John, but perhaps John was in surgery and the boy had not yet seen him, or even was not told that white people would be at the hospital at all!

While I was in hospital mode, I decided to track Logan down and see what he was up to. He is on Medicine this month, so I headed that direction, peeking through windows and doors looking for a tall, dark and handsome doctor.

He was in the female wards doing rounds with a Resident, Med Student and a Medical Officer. I got to listen to the Resident present the patients to Logan. Logan listened, and then would ask leading questions to make sure he had thought of everything.

I looked around the wards and smiled at anyone who made eye contact with me. Because there are not nearly enough nurses to do everything, the patients' family members are responsible for much of their care. They must feed them, give them water and chai, and change their bed pan.

It was great to see Logan in action and remind myself what he is seeing all day everyday while we are here. It was hard on me to see so many thin and sick people. The Lord really gives an extra measure of something to these doctors to be able to deal with all the pain they see. When Logan got a page, I excused myself along with him while he took the call.

As he was on the phone, a nurse asked me if I could help her put on a smock, or covering, (honestly I don't even know what it was!) I may not know anything about anything medical, but a bow I can tie! I whipped her around and tied the prettiest two bows this side of Lake Victoria! So I guess there are a few things I can do to help around here!

Sticks and Stones

2010-05-05T00:15:00.011-05:00

I have heard many moms through the years say, "My son is all boy!" But now it is different to experience it first hand. Liam's personality and "boyness" is really showing!

He loves to be outside.
He loves cars. Toy cars. Pictures of cars. Real cars. It doesn't matter. They all inspire the motor sound buzzing from his lips.
He stops what he is doing if he hears a car, truck or motorcycle go by; he is so fascinated.
He loves sticks. He picks them up, waves them around and breaks them (if his other hand is free and not holding a car.
He loves rocks. He picks them up and hands them to me. The bigger the better. He is quickly learning that some rocks are stuck in the ground and don't come up!
He loves to figure out how things work. He stayed at this gate quite a while pulling the peg in and out of the hole and opening and closing the gate.
He loves his Daddy! They read, wrestle, tickle, have pillow fights and make fun noises.
Daddy is even fun when he wakes him up from a nap! Boring ole Mommy just reaches in his crib and pulls him out. How unoriginal!
Liam took it upon himself to destroy his friend Maggie's pink birthday present wrapping.
He and buddy Micah sometimes push each other around.
He laughs at toots.
He loves to climb up and down stairs, so he always has scrapes on his legs from the concrete.
He loves to play, run and jump with the little Kenyan boys.
What a handful! But a joy. May the Lord help me and guide me as I care for this precious child of God.

"There were never such devoted sisters!"

2010-05-03T07:59:00.010-05:00

Logan has done this really cool thing with our pictures on Picasa. He set up a feature that goes through all our pictures, finds the faces, and labels them for us! I'm actually not sure if the feature is available online, but we can do it from our computer.

Basically I can search through thousands of pictures according to who is in them! We did this primarily for Liam. We are trying to keep him familiar with all the family back home. Since he can not see our precious family everyday, we show him pictures! His attention only lasts so long, so I am lucky if I get through all the pictures of one person in a sitting, just flipping through them quickly and repeating their name over and over.

Today I started going through all the pictures we have that contain my sister! Not a good idea, Juls.

It made me miss her so much! So many times while I have been in Africa I have really wanted Kari to be here. She could help me figure out this living in a third world thing! She and I have both traveled extensively internationally, but for some reason never together!

We have a great time together. We have laughed and cried a lot! I miss our long talks in the bathroom while we get ready.

Sushi restaurants in whatever city she lives in at the time of my visit. (Kari and John have lived in many cool places.)

I miss my LA visits to her swanky places where we have many adventures like beach trips, aerobics and belly dancing, and scoring awesome seats at the Dancing With the Stars filming.

I am so proud of her many accomplishments. She was probably one of the best and brightest stars Pepperdine Law School ever saw.

I wish I had a picture of Kari (aka Elle Woods) workin' it in her movie-worthy LA law firm building. I think we rocked enough boats that day bustin' out the stroller complete with a real baby! Those attorneys (and that restaurant) didn't know what hit them!

Congrats to Kari on passing the Oregon Bar now too! Logan and I can not wait to visit their NEW HOUSE in Portland!

Obstetric Adventures

2010-05-01T01:27:00.011-05:00

This past month has been great! I've really enjoyed the OB experience here at Tenwek. The beautiful thing about OB: it is the same everywhere you go.

In contrast, medicine here is very different than in the US, because there are several diseases common here that we never see in the States. Tuberculosis in all its varied manifestations, many end-stage cancers, and chronic diseases like diabetes and heart failure keep the beds in medical ward full, sometimes two to a bed. Estimates are around 80% of inpatients are HIV positive.

Pediatrics, as well, has its share of diseases and conditions that we rarely, if ever, see in the US. From protein-energy malnutrition, meningitis (Kenya is in the meningitis belt),
to pneumonia, rheumatic heart disease, typhoid, etc., children here are much sicker than in the United States. One patient in the hospital right now was actually bitten by a lion! The unfortunate statistic is that about 5% of children here don't live to see their first birthday (compared with 0.7% in the US).

Which brings us back to Obstetrics. With or without prenatal care, the miracle that is childbirth happens basically the same way all across the globe. Here at Tenwek, nurse-midwives handle most of the OB, which are mainly uncomplicated vaginal deliveries. They call the consultant when there are complications. The c-section rate at Tenwek is similar to that in the United States, around 25-30%. I've included some pictures here from a recent c-section. This baby and her mother did very well.

That isn't to say that complications are uncommon here either. In fact, I have seen more OB complications in one month here than in 3 years of residency. One common complication is prolonged, or obstructed, labor. Most women in Kenya deliver at home. When labor goes wrong, it may take a patient hours to days to get to the hospital. By that point, it may be too late to save the baby, and in some cases, even the mother. One patient came in this month, for example, who had labored at home since the day before. Fetal heart tones were already absent upon arrival. She hadn't been in the labor ward 30 minutes when she collapsed, and went into cardiac arrest. She could not be resuscitated. Because of a cultural stigma here, it is not proper for pregnant mothers to be buried with the fetus still inside. So we performed a post-mortem c-section to deliver the baby. This "autopsy" revealed the cause of death: uterine rupture.

That was the first of two uterine ruptures I saw this month. The second one happened while the patient was in the hospital. I was able to get to surgery quick enough to save the mother's life, but unfortunately not the baby's. And while we were sewing up the mother, the OR staff came in to the room and announced there was also a cord prolapse that was being rushed over. Just another typical night on OB call at Tenwek! I've also seen three cases of eclampsia here (seizures in pregnancy due to high blood pressure), a condition almost never encountered in the States due to both proper screening and the common use of magnesium, which prevents seizures. I've also had two placenta accretas (when the placenta gets stuck to the uterus, a risk for massive bleeding).

There is an all-too-common term used here: B.O.H. Bad Obstetric History. One mother here, for example, had been pregnant 10 times, but only had 2 children. Another patient had been pregnant 6 times, and had 6 chilren, but now none of those children were still living. We tend to be much more aggressive with these patients, doing everything we can to ensure they have a live infant born during this pregnancy. I've been taking a lot of c-section call here, and have performed over 40 sections this month. It is an honor to be part of the miracle of birth in the lives of these mothers who need surgery. Several of these babies have been named Kipchumba/Chepchumba (boy/girl born when a mzungu (white person) was around).

Please continue to pray as we finish our last month here. I'll be on medicine, but I'll still be taking OB call. We're looking forward to coming home in early June, but also want to have a strong finish to the work God has called us here to accomplish.

Happy Birthday Lindsey!

2010-04-29T05:56:00.005-05:00

Many things about being in Kenya are great. One thing that is not: missing family and friends! Today I am missing Linds. She is my best friend and today is her birthday! I won't say how old she is, but it is definitely younger than me, so she is still in the clear.

I wanted to post a few pictures of us through the years. She is truly a gift from God to me. We met in 2005 while working on a production for the James River Womens Conference. Lindsey was the lead, while I wrote and produced it. It was the first of many productions we have done together!! I wish I had a picture, but I think we were just really busy that day!

We soon added Chrissy to the mix and started our weekly coffee dates that lasted for years! Our first big adventure was New Years 2006! Road trip to Kansas City! Logan was on call in his first year of Residency, so I skipped town and had a girls night!

We have been friends through so many stages and highlights in our lives. In May of 2008 we celebrated Linds's graduation from Evangel. That was also around the same time Chrissy got engaged to Caleb!

Fall of 2008 we flew to California for Chrissy's wedding. This was when Lindsey and Christopher started dating. We dragged those flowers he got her all over the country, and through several airports. They even survived my morning sickness and Lindsey's sympathy sickness!

It was not long before this "guy who sent her flowers" became "the guy she is going to marry". We schemed with Christopher and rejoiced with them the night he gave her the rock!

Lindsey has been there for me through thick and thin. And when I say "thick and thin", I mean she (the thin one) was there when I (the thick one) was about ready to burst and starting to have contractions!

Logan and I love hanging out with Christopher and her, and have enjoyed watching their relationship go from flirting to fiance and beyond. We watched as they held tiny little newborn Liam together, talking about how that could be them one day in the future. Linds, you don't have any news for me by the way?! Just kidding!

Here we are almost a year after their wedding too! It was beautiful, and an "Honor" to stand beside her as her "Matron!" SO many memories from picking out her dress, to all the showers, to trying to guess how big I would be two months after giving birth. The sales lady made me force myself into bridesmaid dresses even though I was waaaaaaay pregnant! There was even excitement up to seconds before walking down the isle. Right after taking this picture with Liam, we heard music, got up and Lindsey tripped over the cord to this fan and spilled water all over herself and her sister-in-law! That was Lindsey's only non-graceful moment ever!

Speaking of graceful, I could really use Lindsey's help here at Tenwek! I am putting together a little ballet performance with the MK girls and often think about how Lindsey would be doing a much better job than I am. I could go on and on, but then I would miss her even more than I already do! It have been a joy to be her friend. Logan and I look forward to spending time with all of our friends and family when we return this summer.

Happy Birthday, Linds!

It only took me 4 months...

2010-04-27T00:29:00.002-05:00

I am not a reptile person. Or any kind of animal or critter person for that matter! Most families here at Tenwek have "pet" chameleons. I have seen plenty and watched kids and adults handle them with ease. They are just a bit too spikey and prickly for me though.

But, last week was a milestone in my journey here! I did in fact touch a chameleon. Maybe I was feeling brave. Or...OK...probably because it was a tiny baby. The Bemms' chameleon had 13 babies, and Liam and I decided to check them out!

Liam was as unsure as I was! But, I would give him just a few months, and he will probably be coming home with frogs in his pockets and a lizard on his arm! For now, we will stick with baby chameleons enjoyed from a short distance away!

Up and Down Video

2010-04-24T10:43:00.004-05:00

This video is actually a good follow-up to our "Skills" blog. Liam has improved in his climbing skills just since last week! He also is saying the words more clearly now. Many times he will just leave the cushions on the couch now just to give himself a little bit of a challenge! This video was taken this morning. Nothing cuter than a kid in his little jammies!

The Midnight Rain

2010-04-24T02:20:00.004-05:00

"Julie, you need to come to the kitchen."

I fumbled for my glasses, and untangled myself from the mosquito net. It was 2:30am. This couldn't be good. I followed Logan silently to the kitchen listening to the sound of rain outside.

"Please God, not bug infestation or snakes, that's all I ask." My imagination went a thousand directions in the few steps it took to get to our small kitchen. As we rounded the corner, I found out that it was not raining outside, but inside. Water was falling from the ceiling over our refrigerator and cabinets!

But who do you call at 2:30am in Kenya? This would be a dilemma even in the States! Logan started calling every maintenance and security number at the hospital. He talked to several men who promised to send someone. We both agreed, however, that we should keep calling until we actually see someone at our door. Meanwhile, I gathered every towel we own (about 5) and started mopping up the water that was now about an inch thick on the floor. I put two bowls under the main dripping spots.

A knock at the door. Thank goodness! The two men determined there is nothing they could do in our place, so we called our upstairs neighbor, the attorney for the hospital. He checked his place, but no water. We then called our other neighbor upstairs.

She awoke to a sea flowing through her place and her things floating around like little boats. Her water pipe had busted.

By this time, I felt like the guy trying to keep 10 plates spinning because I was dumping out full bowls and adding more bowls until we finally decided to pull the fridge away from the wall and just line the wall with bowls. At about 5:00am, we decided there was not much else to do, but go to bed.

Much of the next day was spent cleaning out our wet cabinets, mopping, and helping Patty upstairs by doing her laundry for her. The problem was fixed, and we actually did not have too much damage.

I am so thankful that Logan was on call that night, and that he got thirsty when he returned from a c-section! Otherwise, we would have just kept sleeping to the sound of the "rain", and who knows what the damage would have been in the morning!

Video Fun for Your Enjoyment!

2010-04-24T01:37:00.003-05:00

Whenever Liam hears a song he likes, he immediately starts to groove. It doesn't matter if he is eating in his highchair, or playing around the house. I had turned up the tunes while I was cooking, and he started dancing with his spoon I had given him to "help Mommy" with. He was so cute I just had to stop what I was doing and try to capture it. Maybe we have a budding Beatles fan?

Once he had my attention, he of course stopped dancing and wanted milk. Here you can see his signing in action as he asks for milk.

Apparently the internet is doing well right now, so I thought I would take advantage of it and post a little Liam in action. Enjoy!

The Best Part of the Day

2010-04-23T09:39:00.007-05:00

As I write this, it is 5:40pm on Friday night. It is amazing how the worst part of the day quickly becomes the best part of the day. The worst: waiting for Logan to get home! The best: When he does finally come home and Liam says, "DaDa!"

Liam and his Daddy are pals. He loves playing with Logan! Logan is a lot rougher with Liam, throwing him around and turning him upside down. Liam loves to go under Daddy's legs, and over his body if he is laying on the ground.

It is such a fun time of day for me too! I am usually pretty tired and out of tricks in my hat for Liam. I am fixing dinner, and glad to have the help. I know Logan loves it too! Sometimes they go outside and run around, climb stairs, or just explore.

Logan's shoulders are quickly replacing the backpack as Liam's favorite mode of transportation. What could be a better view of the world, and how much more comfort can a little boy feel than when riding on his big, tall Daddy's shoulders?

We will not see much of Logan as he is on call all weekend, but we sure are looking forward to having tonight together! Speaking of which, I better go check on our pizza sauce!

*So, actually Liam had to go to sleep before Logan even made it home tonight! Liam said "DaDa, DaDa" the whole time I was dressing him for bed! He missed his favorite time of the day! Oh well, it happens!

Have a great weekend!

Skills

2010-04-20T02:05:00.010-05:00

Not quite nunchuck skills, or bowhunting skills yet, but Liam's skills and vocabulary are increasing so quickly these days! His favorite thing to do is to go "souside", but many times he must entertain himself inside while Mommy tries to get things done.

The other day he found a pitcher in "Liam's cabinet" in the kitchen. He tried and tried and worked and worked to put the lid on this pitcher. The thing was, he had the wrong lid. He worked for literally (I timed it) 23 minutes trying to put the wrong lid on this pitcher. I let him go that long because I was fascinated at his attention span, and his tenacity! He did not get frustrated, but rather kept going and trying it every way he could think of. I did eventually show him the correct lid. He quickly abandoned the green lid and tried the blue lid that matched the picter. He squealed "ooooohhhh." I thought he would be ready to move on to something else, but no. He worked on the correct lid for about 10 minutes! He took it off, put it back on, took it off, put in back on. He now recognizes the correct lid and loves to hide toys inside and cover them up with the lid and say "See? See?"

Speaking of Mama seeing things he does...

Not only has Liam learned to say "Up" and "Down", but he has also learned to do up and down.

I was in the kitchen the other day and I heard Liam's little voice, "Dowww. Dowww. Dowww." After about three times, it hit me. "He is saying "down!" I quickly stuck my head through the door and saw my 13 month old standing on our couch.

He had pulled the cushions off, climbed up and was ready to get "dowwww." I helped him down of course. But, we are now working on teaching him how to get down by himself, now that he can climb up. It really helps that he narrates what he is doing. As he climbs he says, "Upuh." When he is ready to come down, he says "Dowww." He has had a couple crashes, but nothing big and Mommy or Daddy are right there coaching him. He can play the Up-Down game for a long time!!

If I am not able to be right there with him, or need to get something done in the kitchen, sometimes I will dump his toys on the couch so he is sooo distracted by the explosion of fun, that he has no desire to climb at that moment. We will see how long that trick lasts, Mommy. It worked this particular day! He started his own little dance party to the William Tell Overture on his little musical light-up toy. Oh, he is precious!

Ashes and Beauty in Kenya

2010-04-20T01:33:00.008-05:00

As you may or may not have heard: There was a huge volcanic eruption in Iceland. It is interesting how it has affected Tenwek. All, yes ALL, flights in and out of Europe were stopped. The situation is better explained on our friends' blog. Just thought it would be an interesting read for those of you interested in weather, and it's effects around the world.

The biggest impact Kenya has felt is its flower export industry, which is Kenya's biggest money-maker. While we were in Kericho recently, we had the opportunity to tour one of Kenya's largest and most famous flower company, James Finlay. We were able to see the beautiful roses from freshly picked to ready ship internationally.

Our friends and family in the US probably heard about the volcano way before we did. You have TV and we do not! Even though I do not have the many facts one can gather from CNN or the Weather Channel, we are feeling the repercussions even here in rural Kenya. Who knew!

Tenwek Fashion

2010-04-17T01:12:00.008-05:00

One of the Kenyan doctors asked me recently, "Do they tell you what to wear or something? Because none of you (missionary women) are very stylish." She is from Nairobi, and perhaps a little more modern than others in this rural area.

To answer her question: Yes. We were asked to wear skirts or dresses below our knee. It is just a very conservative society in general and we do not want to create waves or draw any more attention to ourselves than necessary. Many times I think of Marisa Tomei's line in My Cousin Vinny, "oh yeah, you blend!" Aside from that, as it was explained to me, African men do not focus on the top half of women as American men tend to do, but rather the bottom half. We do not want to cause any temptation, or in any way be a distraction from what Jesus wants to do through us while we are here.

We tease each other about our lack of fashion, and I have also received questions from the States, so I thought I would talk about "fashion" here in rural Kenya.

If you are anywhere but Nairobi, you will always see women, and older girls, in skirts or dresses. The typical roles of the women are cooking, farming, planting, plucking/picking vegetables, chopping down and gathering firewood, carrying water, and washing clothes. You will see women doing all of these jobs in skirts, dresses, or what we would call a business suit, all while carrying their baby on their back or side!

It is so interesting to look around at what people are wearing. The most colorful are the Masai. Their signature color is red. Naturally, as a Arkansas Razorback fan I am in full support of this. For the most part, people here tend to dress like they have for generations. However, due to Western influence, many wear clothing that they have bought at local markets. These markets somehow get their clothing, typically used, from England or the United States, and, it would seem, from an old ladies closet.

It's also funny to look around and see familiar US brands on these Kenyans who have probably never traveled more than a couple hundred miles.

One of our friends here, Eric McLaughlin, saw an elderly Masai man in the hospital this week with full traditional Masai attire with a cape, rungu (traditional weapon), and the characteristic very long earlobes. The kicker was that he was also wearing a Michigan Wolverines sockcap! Eric was so excited because he did his Family Medicine residency at Michigan and had the same "M" embroidered on his white coat. How disappointing not to have his camera with him at the time!

The guys, on the other hand, have alot more freedom. Logan is expected, however, to dress nicely in the hospital. No scrubs, unless you're planning on being in the OR. Logan did run into one clothing obstacle while we have been here: his belt broke! Ok, Liam broke his belt while playing with it. So, we headed to the Dukas and stumbled upon a real find. He loves it!

I know we are supposed to dress a certain way while we're here. But sometimes I get so tired of wearing the same 5 dresses over and over! What I wouldn't give to just wear some skinny jeans and my favorite high-heeled boots! It's easy to think, "well people need to be responsible for their own thoughts, and we do come from a different culture, blah blah blah." Then I think of Romans 14, starting in verse 13. (In parenthesis are the Julie commentary)

13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. 14 As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food (or pants in this instance) is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. 15 If your brother is distressed because of what you eat (or wear), you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating (or dressing) destroy your brother for whom Christ died. 16 Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking (and clothing), but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food (or fashion). All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat (or wear) anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else (wear pants) that will cause your brother to fall.

I just pray that I can get out of God's way and enable Him to show himself Mighty and Powerful here at Tenwek. He has called a great group of people to serve Him here at this hospital, both long term and short term.

Even if we aren't the trendiest bunch...

Pool Party!

2010-04-12T13:05:00.001-05:00

Today was our weekly Play Date! It is always fun to hang out with the kids, but today was extra special. The Cropsey's, who have two little ones, have an inflatable baby pool on their porch. It is not uncommon for me to walk by and see little Elise with her swimsuit on, shouting "I simming!"

Today she gladly hosted a "simming pary" at her house! She greeted me at the door with one of Micah's swimsuits for Liam. (It was December when we packed, so I somehow was not even thinking of swimsuits!) Liam hesitantly climbed in the pool, not sure what this was, or what he was supposed to do. He grabbed a little airplane and started making motorboat sounds with his lips. I guess playing in the pool came naturally! Soon Maggie McLaughlin, who is almost 1, woke up from her nap and joined the party! She is shown in the picture above with Liam. Elise is not pictured, except for her little legs at the top of the picture.

Everyone had so much fun! The weather has been beautiful here lately, so it was a perfect morning for a swim. It's been fun watching all the kiddos grow together. Micah and Maggie are both cutting their first tooth. Liam has three teeth now, but no signs of a fourth yet. He has moved on from walking and now prefers to run everywhere! This unfortunately means he is falling on his face quite a bit. Currently he has several scrapes and bruises on his forehead and nose. Oh well, it makes him look like a tough guy I guess! I am getting used to him hurting himself, but of course it is never going to be easy! Luckily no one got hurt in the pool today - just pure fun!