Happy New Year!

Okay, so lots has happened since the last time I posted anything, so be prepared for a long one! Over the weekend we all went up to the Lawrence Aquatic Center so Issac could celebrate his birthday (late) with some friends. I wish I could have got some pictures of the little kids while we were there, but there was no way possible for any of us to take our eyes off any of them for even a second to take a picture! Caitlyn, Austin, Allison & Madison got used to wearing water wings while swimming at Mamaw's, but were not allowed to use them at the aquatic center. They didn't care one bit! All 4 of them took off all at once in different directions, and were trying to get to the really deep water which even Caitlyn couldn't touch in. Sometimes the little girls would lose their footing and go under, but they didn't slow down a bit. Both of them ended up getting bruises on their heads from slipping on the stairs of the little dragon slide, but there was more fun to be had! And Elijah didn't get a bloody nose for once! Issac was able to play around with his friends the whole time. When we were ready to leave, I think the adults were just as worn out as the kids! It was great though!

Our plan for New Year's Eve was to stay up late playing games and eat junk! I worked it out with Bear so that he called us a little before midnight, and was able to bring in the new year with family the best way we were able. It was great! I think we all talked for almost 1 1/2 hours! Issac, Caitlyn, Allison, and Austin didn't make it to midnight. Poor Madison brought in the New Year in her own unique way! Around 2230 or so she started throwing up and didn't stop for quite a long time. Every time she would start another bout, John and Elijah would have to run to another room to keep from getting sick themselves...thank God for moms and their strong bellies!

Bear had some interesting experiences over the weekend. Their mission over the weekend was to remodel and update a school building. When they were finished, some of the locals had questions for them. There is no running water in that area to clean up with, and since they do not have toilet paper, they have to use rocks, yes rocks, to clean up with after they go to the bathroom, and were asking for better ways to clean themselves. And all we have to do is go to the store... Another day he and the other Soldiers got to partake in a goat roast in one of the local Djiboutians homes. He said there was no table, just a big rug on the floor with pillows around to sit on. They were served a whole roasted goat, which he described as a curled up goat lying on a bed of rice on a really big platter. They also had chicken, macaroni, and spaghetti with some variety of meat sauce and some salad. They didn't have utensils to use to serve or eat with, so when someone asked him for a goat leg (I guess he was sitting closest to it), he just had to literally rip off the leg and hand it over. After dinner, they dunked their hands in some kind of perfumed oil or alcohol to get the smell of the food off their hands. I guess a few of the Soldiers were having gastric issues and were attributing it to the goat, and swear they will never eat goat again! Bear said he was trying to stick to chicken!

The pics below are from New Year's Eve day. Everyone decided to go sledding in the ditch this time. Caitlyn got a kick out of snowboarding with Elijah. They did very well having both of them on the board at the same time.



Elijah got in a few good jumps over a shovel stuck in the ramp he made. He was even able to land on his feet after making a 180 turn in mid-air!


Issac tried to stand up on the sled to go down the hill...maybe he should try the snowboard next time!!! Earlier he was pulling Roscoe around on the sled, but I wasn't able to get pics of that, darn it. Roscoe was just grateful to not have to walk in the snow, even though he was still freezing just being outside.
Calamity was busy looking for snowballs we had thrown for her to retrieve, but was having no luck in the deep snow. It was funny anyway!Elijah and Caitlyn heading up to the house after a hard day of playing outside (love this one!!!)

That is one happy Mamaw...sled full of giggling/arguing grandbabies going in to warm up, a full cup of coffee, and a beautiful sunny and snowy day!

I tried so hard to get some decent pics of Calamity and the cattle next door at Great Papaw's. She is a border collie/labrador retriever mix, but she has a lot of the instincts of a border collie (herding). She is so fun to watch trying to work the cattle. Borders are known for locking eyes with whatever they are working to intimidate them with the rationalization that where the cattle's heads go, the tails will follow (and after the tails go, they will nip at heels if necessary for motivation). Here, Calamity has eyes locked with one of the cattle at the balance point of the small herd. With a little direction, she would outrun and round up one of the cattle that got away from the group that was getting curious about what I was doing in the pasture...I love that dog!!!

Love to you all (sorry for the book),

Erin