aj quote...better left unsaid, but too funny to not mention...

i have permission to share this quote.  my dear mom agreed this was realllly funny, even when AJ's brutal honesty was directed at her....i guess his social discretion is still developing at five years old... we hope! :) 

AJ was sitting at the front of our house with my mom watching a couple of the older kids play badminton on the most impressive court (which almost needs a post of its own, considering the effort daddy has put into making it "real deal").  anyway, the conversation went something like this:

AJ: "Grandma, do you want to play badminton with me?"
Grandma: "Sure AJ, we can do that."
AJ: "I'll go easy on you Grandma."
Grandma: (smiling on the inside) "You'll go easy on me?  Why would you go easy on me?"
AJ: (without hesitation, and matter-of-factly) "Because you're old!"

for the record, as a child i loved my grandparents, my "oma and opa"...they were sweet and caring to me and loved when we spent time together.  but there would not have been a single day where it would have occurred to me to ask them to play badminton.  our kids are soooooo blessed to have two sets of active and healthy grandparents who are available and involved in their lives.  that is huge.  so, that being said, thanks for taking AJ's honest perception so well, Mom.  he may think you are old, but clearly he also thinks old is still fun.  that counts for something, right?

puppies! times eight!

we are in the midst of some puppy madness around here.  my mom's dog is a proud first-time-mom to eight (EIGHT!!) adorable little bundles of perfection.  if only puppies stayed as puppies! i'm not against a full-grown dog, but really, there's nothing like a teeny tiny puppy to melt you instantly.  right up there with newborn babies and kittens.  we are in awe of their sweetness and it's been such a treat for our kids to see and experience this miracle of new life while watching their journey of growth....so, all you really want are pictures anyway....soooo, here goes!

 

here, Mollie with her litter in the first few days...

 

don't squeeze too tight, AJ!

 

eat, play, sleep, eat, play, sleep....tough life...

 

all eight puppies are named.  grandma let the kids have a say in this.  we have a Frankie, Cruiser, Hank, Reuben, Stella, Juliette, Lucy, and Champ

 

it won't be easy for my crew to say goodbye in a few weeks when all eight puppies go to their new families.  but still, having this experience and memories of these furry friends is soooo worth it.. 

 

 

 had to throw in this one of me.  cuz i'm such a dog lover.  now it cannot be debated.  even the puppy seems to sense it.  clearly.

yonas pictures!

wow, these pictures came much faster than i expected.  i've gotten used to waiting for correspondence from Africa, i guess...such a wonderful surprise to open these pictures of Yonas this morning.  these were taken at the KVI compound...

 

 

he looks well to me, even like a teenager!  :)  it does my heart good to see him looking happy and so much healthier than the day we met...

yonas

remember Yonas?  the dear boy we met in 2010 when we were picking up AJ?  i've blogged many times about him, the first time being here.  as far as updates~ well, it’s been awhile, i know.  not for lack of trying to formulate something to send out about Yonas. I’ve been trying for at least five months to get some substantial information to share with those that have cared about Yonas in the past, and these past few months have been particularly hard. Eyob (our sponsorship contact) has been very difficult to reach, as usual.  he’s been doing some work at a school in southern Ethiopia, and then several Skype attempts (with Yonas!) have failed due to communication issues and internet interruptions.  last week we tried again.  i actually received his call after hearing by IM that Yonas was there in the office, and after about fifteen calls that failed due to a connection problem, we decided to chat through Skype instant messaging with the help of a translator.  it wasn’t like seeing his face, but very special even still…here’s what I was able to learn about him.

~his bloodwork is good.  i saw a copied lab report that shows his HIV status continues to stabilize and Yonas confirms he is taking his medicine regularly.

~he says he is 14 years old, and just today picked up his school report that shows he successfully completed his grade level and will enter grade 9 in the fall.  he is currently on a two month break from school.

~he says math is his favourite subject.  i told him it was my worst! :)

~he says his caregivers are his deceased parent’s friends, and that they are good to him and love him.  i asked if he was daily receiving enough food to eat and the translator/social worker said “i don’t know how to explain it. they give him what they have as much as possible but i can't tell you confidently that it is enough.”  i thanked her for her honest assessment and acknowledged this was difficult to know for certain.

~he expressed deep appreciation for the love and care of so many, and asked us to keep praying for him.

overall, I think he was encouraged and seemed to convey he was happy.  we shared our desire to do Skype visits regularly, and also asked that an updated photo be taken of him.  if i receive this i will most definitely post it here on the blog. 

so, there you have it…finally a Yonas update.  as someone mentioned to me, hopefully knowing so many care about him and his needs gives him a quiet joy he carries through his day .  a daily reminder that he is loved. 
 

thanks for caring!  the difference that must be making is forever life-changing...

family ties

on Saturday we hosted a VanderSlagt family reunion.  approximately forty five people arrived at our home to spend the day enjoying summer fun together.  most travelled from out of town going to great lengths to make this day happen.  some relatives we knew, and some we didn't...and i know, the very words "family reunion" often conjures up all sorts of initial thoughts, admittedly even with me.  but not this one, not this day, not this family....

it was really fun, really great, and so worth the effort made by many to pull this off.  as i said to Jeff's Aunt Marien "I come away from days like Saturday feeling very blessed and thankful for family ties and connections that are unbroken by time or distance"  it's soooo true. 

 

i'm not a VanderSlagt by blood, yet this was a true joy for me to connect with many of Jeff's relatives and see cousins and aunts and uncles all reconnecting and reminiscing about memories shared.  an extra added bonus was enjoying the smallest ones that came~ lots of babies to snuggle and enjoy just having them there.

my kids loved that the most....well, maybe the door prizes below (thanks Uncle Bob! :)) were the very favourite part, but the sweet babies and toddlers that came were a close second...

 

so cute to see them all cruising through the yard and in the tree house...good times, delicious food (amazing as always~ thanks especially to Jeff's mom) and overall a great day.

 

we are truly blessed!  having family ties and connections is a giant gift.  the reunion reminded me of that. 

uncle joe

these two were a cute pair the other day.  grandma grabbed her camera.  what Uncle Joe did, AJ did...how he laid poolside, AJ laid poolside...and so it went....

 

 

apparently Uncle Joe was trying to tan as dark as his cute nephew...not a good idea from a dermatological perspective.  but cute bonding time, nonetheless.  and bonding with nieces and nephews is one of the reasons Uncle Joe is so great. 

as far as uncles go, my dear brother is sort of "off the charts".  partly because he's undeterred by cold water.  he is game for anything related to water~ be it early dips in a chilly pool, snorkeling in moon river, water ski assistant to small learners, turtle finder/wrestler/catcher~ he's just a water guy in general...plus, he's always kind and gracious and patient with my crew.  they love him, they love the fun he seems to regularly generate, they love his interest in their lives.  thanks "Uncky" for being there....we love you!!