The Reynolds' Rap

Chase's birthday!

2011-01-13T18:44:00.009Z

Chase woke up early for the last day of school - especially since it was also his birthday, and he thought he might have a few gifts.

Water guns and water balloons are very important for December birthdays... when you live in the Southern Hemisphere at least.

Cards from loved ones...

A shaggy rug for the secret hideout. Sorry, but I cannot tell you where it is!

Then we took a cake to school to share with his classmates.

Seven years old!!!!!!!

His classmates sang Happy Birthday in English and then in Spanish.

Oh, yes, one more gift before bedtime.

Since it was Legos, he couldn't go to bed without putting it together. Thank you to everyone for the phone calls, gifts, and cards that helped make Chase's birthday very special!

SURPRISE!!! - Caleb's party at school

2011-01-13T18:10:00.009Z

We celebrated Caleb's birthday early this year so that we could have it at school with all of his classmates. Everyone did a great job of keeping it a secret (not easy for pre-kindergarteners). This was the look on his face when his dad came in with the cake and balloons while his mom was telling a story.

Let's have a party!!!!!

Even Chase got to join us for a little while. Our school usually allows siblings to watch or join in on things going on with each other - so nice!

There is a tradition here in Chile where after blowing out the candles on his cake, the birthday boy gets to take a bite right out of the cake. Here is what Caleb looked like after his bite.

Of course, we had a pinata!! These days, you don't use a stick to break it open, you just pull the ribbon on the bottom and out tumbles all the candy and toys. Much safer!

Chase of the Jungle!

2010-11-12T12:48:00.005Z

Last night was our school's Gym Show. This is one of our favorite shows of the whole year! The boys love it and have so much fun performing. Chase's group performed to the song "George of the Jungle". It was pretty "wild".

Caleb the Lion!

2010-11-12T11:43:00.004Z

and Caleb's class was in a magical woods where the boys were lions, and tigers, and bears, and monkeys - oh my!! We had sooooo much fun!!!!!!

Hogar de ancianas

2010-11-04T00:25:00.002Z

In early October we visited a nursing home for women. We went with several families from our Sunday School class. We just spent the day with the ladies there. We had a cookout, worshiped, prayed, did crafts, and visited. It was a very special time and such a blessing to us.

We didn't skip it!

2010-11-04T00:20:00.002Z

Well, Chad DID have a birthday in October. He celebrated with a chocolate chip cookie cake with chocolate icing that Chase & Caleb helped decorate. Can you tell?

Tae Kwon Do

2010-10-28T00:14:00.002Z

In front of the whole school chanting "Chase...Chase...Chase"!!!

Where did he get those eyes?

2010-10-27T02:10:00.002Z

Here's my little sweetie who endears himself to everyone. He is doing such a great job in pre-k.

You don't want to mess with this kid!

2010-10-27T02:00:00.007Z

Every Friday evening, Chase goes to Tae Kwon Do practice. Today his group did a demonstration at the school. It was awesome!

The students got a chance to break a board with their foot. Did we know Chase could do it? No. Did Chase know he could do it? No! BUT, his instructor knew, and with everyone cheering, he did it!!

And here's the proof!

I'm going to try to get the video posted, but I wanted to let you know how it went...

Father's Day

2010-07-06T19:04:00.003Z

Chad was able to attend a Father's Day party in Caleb's class. Here are the children carrying the gifts they made for their dads.

Chase made quite a few gifts for Dad also.

Then we captured Chad from work and took him to see Toy Story 3 in 3D. We had a great time!!!

Mountain trip

2010-07-06T18:45:00.008Z

Weekend before last, we decided to go up to the mountains to scout out a possible ski area. Here are a few pictures from that trip:

Believe it or not, we were not flying - we were driving!!

Chase & Caleb LOVE the snow! Well, at least until their toes get cold...

This was Caleb preparing to face the cold...

Here is a ski village with hotels, restaurants, and ski lifts. It is very nice!

We had a great time exploring. This area had a slope for tubing. We will definitely be back for that!

Our beautiful city

2010-05-01T01:06:00.005Z

There is a hill right in the middle of downtown Santiago called Santa Lucia. It is where independence was proclaimed and is a beautiful place to visit. It is a hard climb, but worth it! Actually, this was before the climb. What better way to get energized than with a hot dog? Here they eat them with guacamole, diced tomatoes and mayonaise (as Chase is showing us). However, you can see that Caleb still eats his with ONLY meat and bun! Nada mas!

There are lovely parks all around the hill.

AND canons on one level. Everyday they shoot a canon off at noon. The boys were wishing that this one really worked. They still managed to imagine that they polished off a lot of enemies!

Time away

2010-04-27T18:23:00.003Z

In February Crystal, Chase and Caleb went on a prayer retreat in the mountains. It was beautiful and we had good times of being with colleagues and friends. Sadly, Chad and the finance team had to stay behind in Santiago. The children had VBS and did their program at the last meeting of the week. Chase loved it and still sings the songs and does the motions that he learned.

In the picture below, you can see what Caleb thought about performing in front of people. He mainly thinks about food these days.

Another January activity - going to the beach!!

2010-04-27T18:13:00.005Z

This equals HAPPINESS!!!!!!

Like brother, like brother...

Caleb DID have a birthday.

2010-04-27T18:03:00.003Z

Reports have been coming in to remind us that we haven't updated the blog since last December! Really?!? Yes, it's true. We apologize and promise to get some pictures on here quickly. So, get ready... we have LOTS of catching up to do!

Here is a happy boy at his birthday party. He requested chocolate cake with chocolate icing and chocolate ice cream. Talk about lots of energy...We thought he would never go to bed that night!

These pictures are of Caleb the morning of his birthday. We let the boys open their presents from family in the morning, and then from friends at the party.

The Real Santa

2009-12-28T21:20:00.002Z

We received the above note from our neighborhood trash collectors a couple of weeks before Christmas. Notice the clip-art of Santa on the back end of a trash truck tossing presents with a dog at his heels. The boys thought this funny, and I teased them that Santa has to use a trash truck in Santiago because there's no snow.
The week of Christmas, Crystal took the boys to a mall to shop, and there they found a really old, frail Santa greeting shoppers. The boys wanted to go hug him, but Crystal was worried for him. "Be careful not to knock him down," she warned the boys, "you don't want to hurt Santa." Caleb replied, "Mom, he's not the real Santa - the real Santa comes on the trash truck."

Christmas Day!!! We thought it would never get here!

2009-12-27T21:06:00.010Z

We started our Christmas countdown on December 1st. Each night we read a devotional and added a character to Chase and Caleb's nativity scene. Finally, on Christmas day, both boys wanted to bring in Baby Jesus. We had our devotional and spent a few minutes talking about what it must have been like on the first Christmas day. Then we prayed and thanked God for the precious gift of His Son.

Then it was time to open presents!!!!

Oh, wait, we needed to open our stockings! The reason you only see 3 stockings is because Crystal's stocking was so full that it was spilling out presents. It was covered by the red blanket.

The boys got new flashlights from Mema and slinky's from Granny Pope. Thank you!

Claire even got a gift. Thanks, Aunt Ginger!

We had so many gifts that we are having to show the pictures in 2 different blog posts. So, this is the first installment...

Thank you, Grandma, for our new video games!

Some new winter shirts and vests for later. Thanks, Nana Banana and Grandpa!

Magnetix fun. Thanks, Bubba!

New Legos. Thanks, Nana Bev and Papa!!

Second installment

2009-12-27T20:52:00.009Z

Spy-scopes/binoculars. Thanks, Aunt Ginger! Star Wars figures WITH COMIC BOOKS! Thanks, Burgen's!

Leapster Wall-E game. Thanks, Nanny and Pappaw!
Yeaa!! Star Wars movies. Thanks, Grandma!

They got lots of Star Wars figures, so now they can act out most of the movies. Thanks Nana Banana and Grandpa.

This is part of the new Hot Wheels car tracks. Thanks Mammaw and Pappaw!

New "real" soccer outfit. We call it futbol here in Santiago. Chase and Caleb are both learning to play.

Yippee, Battleship!!

New Backyardigans game for Caleb's Leapster. Thanks Nanny & Pappaw!

Gifts for Chad and Crystal

2009-12-27T20:42:00.005Z

Chase gave me a necklace which I am wearing in the second picture. Caleb gave me a special jewelry box with a pink rock in it because he knows my favorite color is pink

I had lots of help opening my gifts...

The boys gave Chad socks (which he really needed!). We had 5 pairs, so they each wrapped 2 and a half pairs. They thought it was the greatest trick to play on Dad.

Thank you Nana Banana for our audio Bible. We are going to enjoy listening to it.

FUN!!!

2009-12-27T20:37:00.004Z

A little bit of playtime before we had to clear out the living room. We are not sure who likes the toys best - the boys or Chad!

We got to have a yummy pancake breakfast - with fresh blueberries. It is Chase and Caleb's favorite breakfast. We had to have blueberries because that is how Curious George makes HIS pancakes.

Christmas sing-along

2009-12-27T20:32:00.002Z

After our huge lunch, we went to the backyard and sang Christmas songs and carols together. It was a wonderful time, and we are sure all our neighbors enjoyed it.

Right now, all the other mk's are girls. However, Chase & Caleb don't seem to mind. They all play very well together. All these girls are so nice to our boys. (Chase is hiding in the back. He had his new spy-scope that he would use to peek up over the swing to watch everyone else. He was making us laugh!)

Merry Christmas! Happy Birthday, Jesus!!

2009-12-27T20:14:00.002Z

It didn't happen until the very end of the day, but we DID get to decorate a cake in honor of Christ's birth. We are so thankful for Jesus coming as a baby born in a stable to show us God's great love for us. Really, this is something we can celebrate every day!

Christmas Eve

2009-12-27T20:06:00.002Z

We spent all day on Christmas Eve cleaning house and preparing for our guests for Christmas day. The boys were so good and helpful. We took banana bread to our neighbors, went to a church service, and FINALLY the boys (Caleb thought he would never get to open any presents) got to open one present each. Fortunately, they wanted to open their presents to each other. They knew what they were because they each picked out their present, but the other brother paid for it and wrapped it. As you can see, they were very happy about them. Oh, yes, Chad got to have a present early, too. It was his new lawnmower. He had to put it together and use it to mow our lawn before company came. It is a manual lawnmower - if you were wondering. Have you ever seen one before?

Chase's big day

2009-12-26T22:42:00.010Z

We cannot believe that our firstborn son has graduated from kindergarten!! Where has the time gone? He is becoming such a responsible and compassionate young man. We are so proud of him!
Here he is before the ceremony. Everyone seemed a little nervous - especially the parents. They marched in to some very serious classical music. Then they all sat together to watch the presentation. Chase is right in the middle of this picture.

He received his diploma and a tie pin with the school emblem. It was all quite impressive.

Accomplishment!!!!!!!

This lady is another blessing we have had. Her name is Francisca, and she was the perfect teacher for Chase. She coached him along and always encouraged him. She channeled his energy in the right direction, and he learned a great deal in a short few months. She will always be precious to us. And, another great thing is that she will be Caleb's pre-kindergarten teacher next year. Yippeee!

Family picture. Caleb just decided at the last second, that he WANTED to be in the picture.

Caleb in his show

2009-12-26T21:48:00.006Z

Caleb's class performed a couple of numbers during the kindergarten graduation ceremony. Afterward, Chase said, "Caleb you did great! I'm so happy that you did a show for my graduation!" They can be so sweet sometimes.

They did their first song with these green tunics on. Then they ripped open the velcro, and turned into little Michael Jacksons!

Then everyone went to have a little candy before saying good-bye for the summer. Caleb wore his reindeer antlers while he passed out little gifts to all of his classmates.

Last day of school!

2009-12-26T21:08:00.006Z

We are still trying to get used to being in the southern hemisphere. It is summer time, and school is out until March. Here is Caleb's teacher bringing him out on the last day. Her name is Priscilla, and she has been a tremendous blessing to us as she helped Caleb adjust to being in school here in Santiago. She will always have a special place in our hearts.

They had a magician come in to do a show, had a party, and were very tired. They brought home all their books and all their schoolwork. It is amazing what all they have done. Chase has learned to write in cursive and has become quite good in math.

We had friends over for dinner that evening as well. They gave Chase a huge bug-catching kit for his birthday.

Here he was all decked out and ready to catch some bugs!

School party

2009-12-26T20:53:00.006Z

Chase had his birthday party at school the week before his birthday. The teachers allowed parties on Fridays, so it was the best way for us to include all his friends. It was a Power Ranger Party. We had little turkey and cheese sandwiches, chips, cupcakes, and juice. Caleb even got to come over from his class to join in the party.

This picture is not very clear, but it was an important part of the celebration:

Chase's classmates gave him very nice gifts. This is one of his best friends named Oscar. He lives very close to us, so we are planning to have him over to play a lot this summer.

Oh, yes, don't forget the pinata!! It was filled with candy and little toys. Now they make them where you don't have to smash them. You just pull a ribbon on the bottom and a flap opens up. Wonderful! And a lot less dangerous since there is no stick involved...

One gift that Chase received was a little golf set. We decided that Uncle Mark needs to come down and give a few lessons to his nephews!

Chase's Birthday

2009-12-26T20:39:00.005Z

A great way to start the day... with pancakes and presents!

The gift that always fits.

This is a circuit building project. Chase has been building circuits with Chad and learning lots about electricity. Uncle Sonny would be proud!

Have we mentioned lately....

2009-12-19T22:08:00.004Z

...that one of the most amazing things about Santiago is that we can get Happy Meals? Thank you to those of you who have sent money to support this habit. As you can see, they do make kids HAPPY!!!!

English time!

2009-12-19T21:59:00.003Z

Nana went to the boys' school one day. Their school is bilingual (English/Spanish). She read books to the classes in English, and they loved it! The teacher translated when the children didn't understand. Caleb and Chase were both soooo proud to have their abuela visit their classes. It was a fun morning.

Nana really DID come for a visit!!

2009-12-19T21:37:00.005Z

Crystal's mom came for a visit back in November. We all had a great time, but it was too short! One day we went out of Santiago to visit the mountains. We needed to make sure they were real. On the way we stopped at a typical Chilean restaurant in a small town. We ate outside on a covered patio. It is hard to believe how much food they serve you. You can hardly see Chase over that huge stack of meat!! They bring it out hot from the grill with a pan of coals underneath it. The meat stays hot for a long time this way. It is delicious!! We had a beautiful view of the mountains. If you look closely enough, you can see some cowboys riding by...

... and monkeys climbing the trees....

We finally got back on our way. Here is a tunnel we passed through. The view was incredible as we went, and we can't wait to go back!

The Eiffel Tower

2009-12-06T11:52:00.004Z

Chase says "Dad, I built the Eiffel Tower." I turned around from the computer to look, and sure enough, he had.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T14:41:00.002Z

Chase & Caleb made turkeys for Thanksgiving. Caleb wouldn't pose for us, but Chase was proud to show his off. We are thankful for all that the Lord has done for us this year - we've lived on 3 continents, in 4 houses, 2 guesthouses, and multiple hotel rooms, we've flown nearly 25,000 miles, over 40 hours aboard airplanes. And we're still doin' alright! And we are thankful for our family and friends who have done so much for us, and for all who pray for us and care about us. We are thankful for friends all over the world!

Moving-in Day

2009-11-23T11:20:00.005Z

On September 30th the truck with our container from Senegal pulled up across from our house. They unloaded all of our things and took all of the wrapping off of the furniture. Two weeks ago, we finished getting everything in place. We thank the Lord that our personal goods arrived with very little damage, and that our house now really feels like our "home".

Chase and Caleb were so happy to be finding all of the things that had been missing for so many months. The first thing we had to do was to put together their workshop, so they could have all the tools they needed to help Dad.

We love packages!!

2009-11-23T11:15:00.002Z

As we moved into our house at the end of September, we were having some rough days with the boys being sick and missing school. One afternoon, though, we received a package from Aunt Ginger that made our day! Thank you Aunt Ginger! They are still playing with their "spy packs".

Hair gel !!

2009-11-23T11:11:00.002Z

One day, Chad got some new hair gel. He put it on his shelf, and didn't think any more about it. But the boys did not forget about it! Chase tried it on himself first, and then got his brother in on the fun. Here are the results...

A Great Day at the Fair

2009-10-18T21:24:00.009Z

The celebration of Chile's independence lasted a week. There were fairs all around the city. We went to a park close to the guest apartment where we had been staying...

We got to see many different and interesting animals. These are either llamas or alpacas.

The boys didn't know what these animals were because we had never seen sheep this fat in Africa!

During this time of year, Chileans like to look back at their history and how the ranchers and farmers lived. They had a neat display at the entrance to the fair.

So much fun. See the post below for our fun playtime.

More of the fair...

2009-10-18T21:03:00.015Z

There were so many rides and activites for kids. Chase and Caleb had LOTS OF FUN!!!

El tigre:

Spiderman:

Chase is sliding/falling down the hill, and loving every minute of it.

Do you think Caleb enjoyed the ball pit?

Hi, Papa!!

This was the smallest ferris wheel we had ever seen. Caleb waved to everyone every time they came over the top. Too cute!

Chase climbed a very tall wall. Ready, set ,go...

We think he was the fastest climber they had that morning!

Caleb on his trusty steed.

They had a circus going on in the middle of the park. We stopped often to watch different acts. What a great day!

Finally... photos of our beautiful home...

2009-09-14T13:41:00.008Z

This is looking at the front from the driveway. This is mainly about Chase enjoying the sunshine!

From the other side... There is a law that every house must display the Chilean flag this week. If you don't, you are fined.

The other side of the house.

Looking in from the front door.

Living room.

Living room from the other side.

Dining room (this is a chest of drawers that is going somewhere else in the house.)

More of the house...

2009-09-14T13:16:00.007Z

Master bedroom. Master bath.

Boys' bath.

Boys' bedroom. Look at the closet! In Dakar we didn't have any closets, we had to have armoires.

One side of the kitchen.

It is L-shaped, and this is the other side.

To show you the cute tile and the outlets. Outlets on the left are 110 volt and on the right are 220 volt. Crystal will be really spoiled in this kithchen!

Our Huasitos (Little Cowboys)

2009-09-13T00:05:00.004Z

Here is Caleb between his two teachers and with some of his classmates. He loves school and loves his teachers!

Chase was in a dance competition for the national dance called the "Cueca" (pronounced KWAY-kah). He did really well for his first time to ever dance! All of us are going to learn it to be ready for next year.

Viva Chile!

2009-09-12T23:52:00.003Z

Chile is beginning a week of celebrations for their Independence. School is out all next week, and there was a huge fiesta at the school today. Here are the boys in their Chilean cowboy outfits.

Chad is playing a Chilean version of tossing washers. They have to hit on a string before they hit the dirt. Chad did pretty well for his first try at it!

Each class had a booth at the "fair". Chase's class had a hot dog stand. Here they put tomatoes and guacamole on their hot dogs. Yum!!

Fun at a park

2009-08-31T15:11:00.003Z

We have many wonderful parks here in Santiago. The boys love going to explore different ones. This park is not far from our house. We just have to hope for more sunny days so that we can brave the outdoors.

Practicing Spider-Man drills... not for the faint of heart!

2009-08-31T15:02:00.004Z

Chase thought this was the most wonderful discovery. Of course, his mother is not too thrilled with this new ability. Fortunately, it is only possible in the hallway of the apartment!

More school pictures

2009-08-31T14:52:00.003Z

The boys are just inside the entrance gate of the school. This is actually the end of a day and Caleb is holding a little puppet that he made.

This is the way we go to school, go to school, go to school... early in the morning. We walk to and from the school most days, and try to leave by 7:45. It is only a few blocks from our temporary apartment. However, the time to walk it varies by how many dogs we need to stop and look at (or birds or cats), how many flowers we stop to pick, or how many little curbs we need to try to balance and walk on. I think the average time is about 16 minutes. After we move to our house, though, we will have to drive because it will be too far to walk. I think I (Crystal) will really miss these walking/talking times. You can learn a lot from 5 and 3 yr olds!

Here is Chase playing with a friend in his class. They wear labcoat-looking things (called cotonas) over their school clothes.

School days!!

2009-08-12T03:14:00.002Z

Well, here are our big school boys. Aren't they handsome?? They are really enjoying their new school, and their teachers say they are doing very well.

It wasn't that Caleb wasn't happy about school. He just didn't want me to take his picture.

City with a view

2009-08-05T17:12:00.002Z

We have been telling you about the mountains, but we are truly amazed by some of the views we have as we go around the city. It almost seems like someone painted a giant canvas and dropped it down behind the city. Well, I guess Someone did paint it...

We are hoping to get to go out to the mountains before all of the snow melts. Skiing anyone??

Mmmmmmm!

2009-08-05T17:00:00.002Z

We bought a juicer! Here is Chad (with a lot of help) making juice from anything he can find in the fridge. We bought this because we are having a very difficult time finding any juice without added sugar or aspartame or sucralose... We want JUST JUICE!

Boys at Work

2009-07-25T13:10:00.004Z

First, here is a picture of the front of our apartment building. We are on the second floor.

Here are the boys hard at work. They decided to draw and cut out many pictures. They worked pretty steadily for about an hour. Caleb was drawing our family, and Chase was drawing Star Wars jets and spaceships.

Beautiful City

2009-07-25T13:00:00.003Z

Here is a view of one of the mountains around us. You can see the top of the mountain in the clouds. The mountains can be seen in just about every direction. We'll post some more pictures soon of some other views.

This is an entrance to a mall we have visited. It has 3 levels. There is also a huge grocery store in it called "Jumbo." We are really overwhelmed in there!

This is a view down a street. You can see that things are very orderly here. No one even parks on the sidewalk. We may have trouble following the rules.

Our house (to be)

2009-07-23T14:22:00.011Z

Well, finally, here are some pictures of our house. There is still a great deal of work to be done, but we are very excited about it.

Caleb is running in the part of the back yard where Claire stays.

Here is one side of the kitchen. If you go to the left, the rest is around the corner.

Living room. This is not our stuff.

The picture just below is the dining room. Notice all the nice hardwood floors. They are going to refinish them.

The last picture is the master bedroom. They are replacing all of the windows in the house.

Are we brothers?

2009-07-23T14:18:00.002Z

Over the past few weeks, Caleb has been constantly seeking his big brother's approval. He will say, "Chase, are we brothers?" Hopefully, Chase will say, "Yes." Nevermind that we are constantly reminding them that they will always be brothers! This picture was taken the day we went to a school interview. We are in the entry of our apartment.

Self Portrait

2009-06-26T10:30:00.001Z

Chase was playing with his camera.

More cousins

2009-06-09T16:21:00.004Z

And here are our Texas cousins, Hailey, Emily, and Jack. Chase and Caleb had such a great time with ALL their cousins while we were in the States.

Cousins

2009-06-09T16:18:00.002Z

Here are our Oklahoma cousins, Harleigh, Waylon and Haven. They had fun making a "dogpile," although Waylon was a little worried about it at first!

Slippin' and Sliding

2009-05-29T22:20:00.003Z

Also, at the Kid's Day event was a Slip-n-Slide. It was a nice, cool way to end our time there.
The boy behind Chase on the slide is our friend, Lucas, and the little girl watching Caleb is Lucas' sister, Alexis.

Climbing around

2009-05-14T16:30:00.003Z

We were at a children's fair at the International School of Dakar last Saturday. The boys had a blast with their friends. Here Chase is participating in a small ropes course they had set up. He did great and was pretty proud of himself. That tree was very tall! You might notice that the boys are very happy to be back in their flip-flops.

Hello Everyone!!

2009-05-14T16:18:00.003Z

We are back in Dakar and doing well! We have seen many of our friends, and are back into school and work. We thank all of you for making our time in the US so special. We had LOTS of fun!!

Serious

2008-11-24T23:01:00.003Z

I got to thinking that our photos on our blog might be a little misleading. Lest you think that the boys are always all smiles... here are some serious looks. Can you believe that they actually get tired of Mom taking pictures sometimes?!? (That is really not dirt on their faces, but leftover Thomas the Tank Engine tattoos.)

And you thought your day was bad...

2008-11-24T22:54:00.003Z

Here is a taxi we saw one day. We don't know what happened, but we're sure it was sad!

May the force be with you!

2008-11-18T17:21:00.002Z

Chase and Caleb love Star Wars...

Our couch cushions are used for many things - much to Mom's dismay. Today, they were made into a Star Wars jet. You can see one Jedi inside. And the other? Who knows what he is doing?

Xar, Xar, Fas!!

2008-11-18T17:12:00.002Z

In other words, "Sheep, sheep, horse!" That's how we play Duck, duck, Goose here. Chase is being chased by our friend David during a Kids' Club in the park in front of our house. They have a lot of fun with anywhere from 12 to 30 kids joining in on Friday afternoons. Chase is becoming lots more outgoing and enjoys helping.

Friends!

2008-11-18T17:02:00.002Z

These are our friends Rebekah and Joshua. They live in southern Senegal, but we love it when they come to town. They stayed with us for 2 weeks in September. It was great, especially since they brought their huge box of Lego's!

Who..... us?

2008-11-07T20:00:00.004Z

This is the look we often get from the boys when we ask who broke the lamp, or the table, or the toy, or started the fight?

You know, it's pretty hard to fuss at your children when you are about to burst out laughing!

"Ride 'em cowboy!"

2008-11-07T19:47:00.004Z

That's what Caleb likes to say when all the boys get duded up. The harvest festival at an American school here had a western theme, and we loved it. This is Cassandra (a friend of ours) painting a beautiful horse on Chase's face.
The boys played some games, saw lots of friends, and, of course, we ate a lot!

"I'm not tired...

2008-10-12T22:40:00.005Z

...I'm just resting my eyes." This is what Chase said after a long day of playing and swimming.

(Chad did put him all the way up on the bed to let him finish his nap.)

Trampoline Tumble

2008-10-10T15:25:00.002Z

Sometimes jumping on the trampoline can be a little rough. The boys decided that protective equipment was needed for this day. However, with it being so hot, they only lasted about 2 minutes! (The other little boy is one of our friends here in Dakar.)

Finally - my desk

2008-10-10T15:21:00.001Z

Chad had a desk built for Crystal's birthday. It is beautiful!!! - and very organized. Chase is helping show off its features. It even has a glass top! Thanks for a wonderful gift Chad!

Our favorite author!

2008-10-10T15:14:00.002Z

Well, if you haven't heard, Chase wrote his first book last month. It is titled TheFeign of Danger. He just decided that it was time to write a book one day, and started the illustrations. When Mom had time, she wrote down what he wanted to say on each page. Of course, it involves superheroes fighting off bad guys. It has not gone to print, yet, but we know it would be a bestseller... at least to grandparents!!

What we do...

2008-09-26T16:08:00.008Z

Chase loves to do craft projects. This is what he made for Chad for Father's Day. It is made out of seashells.

Caleb loves to make others laugh!

Here is Chad's desk in his office. His supervisor sits in the chair directly behind him.

Here is Crystal singing

"Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes" with Chase's class.

You can see that her mom got in on the fun that day, too.

What did the boys do there?

2008-09-17T10:24:00.007Z

While we were in Abidjan, the boys had fun!!!
They did lots of swimming and had Vacation Bible School.

They learned about a mandolin from one of our talented missionaries. You can see Chase and Caleb were right on the front row. They never want to miss anything!

They played with friends - old and new.

Chase got to be in the final program with his class. He is second from the right.

Here we are with Caleb's teachers.

We can't say enough about the volunteers from FBC Powell, TN. They pampered us and loved and taught our children. They were a huge blessing!!!

Here is Chase with a few of his teachers. We have never seen kids do so many fun crafts!

At the end, our wonderful group of volunteers sent all the leftover paints, markers, glue, etc. home with all of us. We are now well-stocked for craft projects. We thank you all so much!!!!!!

Abidjan

2008-09-17T10:06:00.005Z

Chase, Caleb, and Crystal flew into Abidjan back in July for our annual meeting. Chad was already there taking his last seminary class. The boys were very excited to be there. Here are some pictures of them discovering the city through the bus window. We were being taken to the Hotel Ivoire were we would have VBS for the kids, and meetings for the adults. It is so fun to listen to them talking about everything these days.

The top picture is not the best, but it shows a famous statue that is supposed to resemble an elephant - in a very abstract sort of way.

Happy Birthday to David!

2008-09-14T16:44:00.002Z

It was our guard, David's, birthday the other day. The boys helped Crystal make him a cake. Caleb was very glad to be the icing taste-tester. David was thrilled for us to honor him. He is a good friend to our family!

Birthday Banana???

2008-07-21T22:26:00.005Z

Well, I certainly had an interesting birthday this year. We went to Goree Island with a group of volunteers. They surprised me with a banana flambe (no birthday cake on the menu), and it was really good!

The boys and I got to play around on the beach and in the water while the volunteers went on a tour with a guide. Chad was there, too, but he had to take the pictures :)

We stopped on our way home and got some wonderful ice cream from a place called Nice Cream.... very nice!

Then some friends came by and brought me a cake to help me celebrate. In this picture you can see Ndeye, little Ndeye, and Marie Victoire. Caleb missed this moment, and we had to light the candles and blow them out again.

These are some other wonderful friends. Helene is on your left and Astou on your right. These ladies helped to make it a special day.

As did all of your phone calls and cards! Thank you so much to all of you for the birthday wishes.

Oh, and I can't forgot my sweet husband who helped so much with the boys and the volunteers, and gave me a huge, beautiful new desk! I will post pictures of it soon. Thank you, Chad. I love it!

Other things we did on vacation (back in May!)

2008-07-16T22:47:00.009Z

The boys spent the week watching a couple of eggs in a birdnest right outside one of our windows. We saw the mama bird (a pigeon), but never saw the babies. However on the last day, we saw a little spot on one that was starting to crack. How exciting!

Just for fun, Chase and Caleb each got one little braid. They loved them and showed them off to everyone they saw. Don't worry, they only kept them in for a couple of weeks.

In the little town close by, we found a merry-go-round. Chase and Caleb rode it about 8 times over 2 days. They tried just about everything on it, but these were their favorites.

One morning we got to see a fishing net being pulled in and emptied. We saw lots of sea critters. (Caleb is not in the picture because he is back with Mama so that our toes wouldn't get pinched by the little sand crabs.) There were jellyfish, manta rays, crabs, huge shrimp, all kinds of fish, and bunches of seaweed.

We also got to ride in a horse and carriage through a village one evening. It was a nice ride, and we had lot of kids running along behind us. I think that was mainly because our kids were hollering at them in Wolof. The Senegalese thought that it was sooo funny! We really enjoyed our time outside of the big city. We are ready to go again!!

Once a teacher, always a teacher...

2008-07-14T22:33:00.002Z

Nana's 30 years of teaching experience sure paid off for Chase and Caleb. Chase is really ready to learn, and Nana brought lots of homework to do. I think Nana got tired of homework each day before Chase did. We're glad he loves doing homework, and we are trying to document it as much as possible so that we can remind him of it when he is 14!

Bathing Beauty

2008-07-14T22:27:00.002Z

Aunt Ginger braved the waves to sit out on a rock with the boys. They got some pretty good splashes from the waves. Chase loves it, but Caleb won't put up with it for very long. Chad rescued them all pretty quickly. We love being so close to the beach/ocean.

Showing off

2008-07-14T22:19:00.001Z

Caleb has been taking his vitamins every day. He loves to show us how strong he is getting. You can see here that he is quite a Superkid!

Stuck!

2008-07-13T23:06:00.004Z

One day we went downtown to visit some friends. Chad dropped us off and found a parking place up the street and around the corner. He was a little concerned about it, but what could he do? Parking in downtown Dakar is VERY limited.
When we came out about noon, we discovered that several cars were parked behind us. We could not get out! All of us (except Chad) piled into the car and started it up to have the air conditioner on. Did we mention it is HOT here now? While our hero Chad was going around trying to get all of the other drivers to move their cars, we played around in the car and took some fun pictures. Nana was mainly trying not to melt in the front seat. Oh, we did finally get out of our parking spot - 45 minutes later!!!

Rooftop swim

2008-07-13T23:02:00.002Z

This is our new pool. It often gets so hot here that the best thing we can do is head up to the roof for a dip in the pool. It also uses up lots of little boy energy!

2008-07-08T15:53:00.004Z

We have been playing on the scooters that Grandma sent with Mammaw and Pappaw. However, we noticed that the boys were getting braver and their falls were increasing, so Nana brought them some helmets and pads.

Thanks Nana!! Oh, did you know that helmets and pads can also just be worn around the house at any time? Caleb tries to put them on every time he sees them!

Finally!

2008-07-08T15:41:00.004Z

Yeaa!! I finally have a few minutes to post on our blog. We love showing you pictures and writing, but our extra minutes have been nonexistent this last month! However, we have had a great time with Nana and Ginger. As Nana was leaving, 2 teams of volunteers were coming in to do a basketball camp for a couple of neighborhoods here in Dakar. I'll write more on that later.

Here we are at church one Sunday. We had already been there for a 2 hour worship service. At this point we were waiting for the baptismal service to start. While Chase was being held captive by us for pictures, Caleb was down at the front dancing. We had 7 new brothers and sisters baptized that day. It was a wonderful celebration!!!

We are having fun!

2008-06-12T21:47:00.003Z

We are having a great time with Nana and Aunt Ginger here. They brought us lots of fun things (and many very needed things) with them. Thank you to all of you who gave money, shopped for, and helped pack all of these. They brought smiles to our faces!

Mainly, we are enjoying spending time together. Chase and Caleb are sure that Nana and Ginger only came to play with them! They get a little jealous if time is spent with anyone else. I'll post some more pictures soon of what we have been doing.

Fun in the Sun

2008-06-10T23:28:00.005Z

We had a wonderful vacation at a resort (thanks Grandma and Grandpa!) about an hour and a half out of Dakar. It was so nice to get out of the big city! We didn't do much of anything except play at the beach and play in the pool. It was great to just relax. We needed that!

"Cheese!" Caleb can tell you that he had a great time. He is really learning to talk now. We are so happy! (Oh, not only is he talking, but in 3 languages!)

Sittin' on top of the world...

2008-06-10T23:22:00.002Z

We took some balls with us on vacation that were globes. Chase and Caleb thought they made great seats to sit and watch their movies at the coffee table.

something... anything

2008-06-07T23:42:00.002Z

that's what I was just saying to myself as I thought about our poor blog. We have been having lots of power outages lately, and it is getting very hard to get all of our emailing and computer work done. Much less, to have time to post anything. However, this proud mother has to show you what Chase gave me for mother's day. He made me a vase with a flower in it at school. He made the vase out of clay and painted it himself! He also made me a card. It is beautiful. Being a mom is wonderful. I am so thankful that the Lord has given me this privilege.
(Don't worry. Caleb also made me a beautiful card with his hand and footprint on it. He is a special blessing, too!)

...

Family Fun Day

2008-05-11T13:55:00.003Z

One Saturday, we got to go play at the park. They had lots of things set up for kids to do. You can see that we all had a great time.

Useful word

2008-05-02T13:27:00.002Z

The other day, I was tickling Chase. He said, "Mom, you have to stop tickling me because I'll get turberind!"
I said, "What is turberind?"
He looked at me like I didn't know anything and said, "It's when I am laughing so hard that I roll over, roll off the bed, and fall on the floor!"
Of course! I wish I had known the word for that long ago...

The Boys

2008-05-02T13:16:00.002Z

By looking at these pictures, can you guess who might be causing the most trouble these days?

Mammaw & Pappaw

2008-04-18T11:58:00.002Z

Just a little proof that Mammaw & Pappaw are really here with us...

Easter

2008-04-07T16:09:00.002Z

We did have an Easter egg hunt this year up on our roof. The boys had 2 friends over, Ethan and Melody, and they had a fun time hunting for their eggs up on the roof. I think it will be funny one day when they are older and tell people, "Oh, well, we always had our Easter egg hunts up on the roof!" It sounds lots more challenging that way... Also the weekend of Easter, we took food, cakes, and CD's with God's Word to many of our friends and neighbors. Most of them really don't know why we celebrate this wonderful holiday.

Our second little man!

2008-04-07T16:01:00.002Z

Ok, we're biased, but we sure do think Caleb is cute. It always amazes us how much our kids pick up on. They talk like us and act like us. Sometimes it's scary! Hmmmmm.... what did I say when that crazy driver pulled out in front of me? Don't worry, my kids will remind me later....

Playtime!

2008-04-04T11:41:00.005Z

This day was a little chilly for us... probably pleasant for most of you.

Chase and Caleb still love to play with their "fire" cars (Lightning McQueen).

More playing...

2008-04-04T11:30:00.004Z

One Sunday afternoon, we got to go to a restaurant that had a fun play area. The boys had a hard time sitting down, though, because everything was so hot!

Bananas!

2008-04-04T11:25:00.002Z

Chad grew some delicious bananas in our backyard.

Catching up! Valentines Day

2008-04-04T11:10:00.005Z

Well, the boys thought that this was the best breakfast ever! We had trouble convincing them that it was only for Valentines day. Chase then decided that we should have Valentines day more often!

Lots of Valentine cards!

And they got new Zorro hats!

At the beach

2008-03-20T15:34:00.001Z

One of the great perks about living here is that we can seee the ocean and play at the beach! One Saturday we went out to play, and the boys built a great castle. They even put a moat around it and kept filling it with ocean water. It kept them busy for a LONG time!

Superkids

2008-03-11T19:12:00.003Z

With superheroes, a hug can turn into wrestling at any moment!

Daddy is often involved in the battle. Sadly, he usually loses:

This is what can happen to some superheroes if they're not careful:

Thank you, friends!!

2008-03-08T12:03:00.003Z

We want to say thank you to our friends at Emmanuel SBC for our Valentines!!! We had such fun reading all of them. We have also enjoyed munching on the candy. Thank you so much for remembering us! We love you all.

Our big school boy

2008-03-08T11:44:00.003Z

Chase loves to do homework. He begs us to work on it just about every day.