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!!

aj's question

yesterday we were leaving Jeff's parent's home after a nice visit.  out of the blue, as often is the case, AJ launched into a question....here's how it went...
AJ: "momma?"
me: "yes AJ"
AJ: "when i am fifteen, will you buy me a car?"
Jeff and i smiled at the randomness of the question, the age he figured he'd be ready for such a gift, and the complete seriousness of the suggestion.
me: "um...not likely AJ, cars cost a lot of money. you'll have to save your own money to buy one someday when you are even older than fifteen." 
the funny thing was, at that very moment we were just pulling up to the intersection by J&J Body Shop.  sitting outside of the building was a car in serious need of their services. there were large broken pieces lying on the ground by each door.  soooo, i couldn't resist...
"hey AJ, how about we buy you thattt car when you are fifteen!"  AJ was not impressed.  everyone enjoyed pulling up to get a closer look, however, and AJ was happy to pose for a picture beside the sad looking vehicle...

 

he's such a good sport.  but he wasn't buying it when we tried to convince him it really was a Lamborghini and that instead of the doors opening upwards, they just came right off and sat beside the car, as shown! :)

the new groove

sooo, another school year ends for five of my crew (that was a whirlwind ten months!), and exam week is here for Joelle.  for those of us already home, we are settling into a new summer groove.  it takes us a bit, but we're used to that too.  backpacks are washed, school supplies are sorted and tucked away for a few short months, lunch bags are up in the cupboard to stay for awhile.  it feels good.  mornings are slower, and sleeping in longer has been great for everyone.  personally, even if i'm still up by eight, the gradual wake-up is soooo nice when compared to the shrill alarm at six o'clock during school months...we are catching up on books, playing with toys that have sat untouched for months, swimming, eating watermelon, having unstructured play time, baking together, etc...would you believe that on day two one of my little cherubs even dared to utter the words "i'm bored".  what????   that's some kind of record for us.  and it's okay too.  she found herself in a new place of re-learning creative ways to fill her time, with no deadline or timeline or schedule imposed on her.  there is learning, even in that.  it isn't all rosy, however.  these first few weeks often reveal some tiny cracks in our family's foundation.  we see sibling issues, selfish tendencies, etc...my patience wears thin during moments of the day.  we are all adjusting again to being together...overall, i really do like having them here.  and i imagine by the end of August, when all the kinks are worked out, we'll be able to say that summer 2013 was a great break and reprieve from the super fast-paced days of the school year. 
my computer time always takes a hit during summer months (also a nice break!), so blogging might be sporadic (like even more sporadic :)), but i promise to have pictures along the way to capture the memories i wish to retain...
happy summer!

milestones

so much to say.  so little time.  it's june, and june is notoriously busy.  like realllly busy.  spring sports in full swing, school events and class trips.  end of year projects, recitals, and this year~ another graduation.  our dear Hannah has completed grade eight with diligence and grace.  she is moving out of the TCA halls and on to St. Clair Highschool.  she has mixed emotions.  i have mixed emotions.  rather than trying to sort through those and boring you all, i'll just say that we step forward with gratitude for a firm foundation laid by her school, teachers and principal.  gratitude for God's hand in shaping her young life so far.  gratitude for close friendships and warm memories.  gratitude for new beginnings and wide open doors.  how blessed she is.  how blessed we are to be her parents.  enough already, right? :) so, a few pictures to mark the day....photo credits to her older sister~ thanks Joelle, you did great!!

 

 

the picture below is for Coach Burke and Coach Clark.  it had to be done.  Hannah in her wrestling stance....

 

below~ not a complete class, but some pretty close friends anyway...

the day ended with us sitting at the island in our kitchen.  reminiscing about the whirlwind of the day and the many days leading up to graduation.  our wish for Hannah is this, as taken from her letter...."seek God’s will in all things.  ALL THINGS.  don’t be swayed by popular decisions or thinking.  let God’s word keep you grounded. stay open to God's leading and direction.  guard your heart so that you can shine brightly to those whose lights are dimmed. do hard things (because it comes so naturally! haha :)).  in all of this, have fun and joy in the process, knowing God is using you and changing you and shaping you for His purposes.  can’t you just wait to see who you become??  we love you lots and are always going to be cheering you on.  we are happy to listen and promise to be here for you as you continue to grow and spread your wings.  we are so proud of you…happy graduation sweetie!" 

and now i'm off to find the Kleenex...