Enoch and Malaria

Please keep Enoch

In your prayers

He has malaria

and his temp is up and down

Through it all however

He is doing great

and has an awesome attitude!

Just another opportunity

For the Lord

To teach me to trust

Oh joy :)

Isn't it amazing

How He uses children

To stretch us!

Surprise "Birthday" Party

So the girls

And the young ones

Have been planning

A tea party

For two days now

Making gifts

Setting up the table

Dressing up their dolls

And

So on and so forth

Today

They came to me

With the official invitation

And informed me

It was time to start

I walked in

And was met

With this

My "Surprise Birthday Party"

Wow...

I love it!

The totally surprised me

I can't believe

The little ones

Kept it a secret

Talk about planning!

My Birthday Cake!

Complete with sprinkles

I also 

Took some pictures

Of the "guests"

Eston and Eden

Enjoying some of my cake

 

Enoch

Was VERY enthusiastic

The girls kept rebuking him

For eating with

"Bad Manners"

:D

 

Elizabeth feeding

Her baby doll cake

 

The whole party!

Eden and her baby

 

Enoch

 

Elyssa and her babies

 

Elizabeth

 

Eston was ready to eat!

With his napkin and everything

 

Elianah

 

Me and my "crown"

It was after all

My party!

The death... Of a turkey... Plus Thanksgiving!

So

Last week

We had a group come

From RCF

What a blessing!

On top of 

Just being an amazing group

They brought us

A bin of goodies...

Full of the fixing

For Thanksgiving

So...

We of course

Had to have

A turkey...

So the neighbor

Obliged us

By selling two

Stellar specimen

However

Since it is fresh

We have to butcher it

All by ourselves

Or should I say

Our staff does

Fortunately

I was close on hand

With my camera...

*Warning

So of the pictures

Are a bit gruesome!*

 

Ashley

Our ill fated turkey #1

 

 

And Charlie

Ill fated turkey # 2

Killing a turkey

The old fashioned way

Thank goodness

For Joseph and Julius...

I would have been lost!

 

I can't kill a turkey

But I do know

How to prepare one

To bake in the oven!

 

Thanks Erica!

For letting us use

Your oven

Then

It was time

For the feast!

Mashed Potatoes

And turkey...

Yummy!

  

Gravy, Green Bean Casserole and Peas/Corn

  

What is Thanksgiving

Without Cranberry Sauce

Easy Cheese

And Deviled Eggs!

 

Finally our dessert

In the absence of yams

We had pumpkin

Think Candied Yam

Meets Pumpkin Pie

Happy Thanksgiving from Uganda!!!

Zooey

It's that time of year again

The one that we all dread...

Hot season!

However

Zooey is all over it

And has found

The coolest place on the property

To hang out

It is an especially wise choice

Because right above...

Is the faucet...

So when someone comes

To wash their hands

She cools off

Even more

Smart dog!

:)

Happy Happy Birthday Eston!

It is that time again

Another Birthday!

This time...

It is dear Eston!

And 

As you can see

He is now 5 years old!

Big man :)

For his birthday

We had his two favorite foods!

Pizza and Hamburgers

And everyone came for the party

Since the McCourtney's have

Such a large family

Eating out

Is super special

I think his birthday

Was a success!

And everyone kept saying

"I'm so glad

It is Eston's birthday!"

Thanks Eston!!!

Happy Birthday dear :)

And many more to come!

Learning Made Fun!

So it is a Saturday

Which means

A break from normal school

And yet the McCourtney children

Just love to learn!

It is sweet really...

So what we do

Is at the beginning of the morning

I make a list

Of WAY more things

Than we could even begin

To do in one day

Then we make another list

Of the kids names

Remember the game 

"Pick a Number Between"

Well

We put that game to use!

This is the result

The kids love it!

It's kind of fun for all of us

:)

You never know

What the next will pick

This evening

Enoch selected

Twister

I think it is his favorite 

Because even though

He is only 4

He is ridiculously good at playing it

So to make it

A little more challenging

We decided

To play where the kids

Have to play "properly"

Which means

Right hand and Left hand!

So

Out comes

The sharpie

And the kids

Are ready to play!

 

Way too much fun! 

Let me tell you

So once the kids

Start looking like this

You KNOW

The day was a success!

Yeah for twister!

Who says

Learning can't be fun!

 

P.S.

I realize

That Elizabeth isn't smiling...

I believe

This must have been

Her "Game" face

:D

Baby Rabbits and Cute Kids

I'm pretty sure

The title says it all!

With no further adeui!

Baby rabbits...

and

Cute kids!

 Elianah

 

Enoch

Eston

 

Eden

Eli

 

Elijah

 

Elyssa

 

Elizabeth

I'm not sure

How I managed to miss

A few of the kids

Guess I will just have

To spend more times

With the cute kids ;)

And our three baby rabbits!

Wow

My life is HARD

;) 

Exams This Week, Lord Help Me!

So once again

It is THAT time...

The time

That stresses every teacher out

(I know I'm not alone in this!)

Exams...

To be precise...

Mid-Term Exams...

While going through

Some cirriculum

From here...

I discovered something

That pretty much 

Epitomizes...

The Ugandan take

On schooling here...

If you note

Under the badge

It says

"School is God"

Yep...

I found it

In the curriculum

A lot of people here

Think school is

The beginning and end 

Of all...

Please be praying

For the children

The school system here

Puts HUGE priority

On passing exams

So the way they go about that

Is by having the kids just

Memorize

The things the teachers know

Will be on the test...

Contrary to that

We have been teaching the kids

The actual facts

And making sure they understand

Each thing they are taught...

As a result

Sometimes our kids get discouraged

If they can't answer

Every one of the questions

Even though some of them

Are far to advanced

For a 6 or 7 year old...

Please be praying

That the McCourtney children

Would be a light

As they go for testing

That they wouldn't become discouraged

But would know that

Everything that they do

Is "unto the Lord"

And

That their teacher

Would have peace

That only comes from the Lord!

:)

Blessings all!

Birthday Birthday Birthday!!!

Happy Happy Birthday

To Miss Elianah

She is making!

This many

:)

 

In the absence

Of a cake

We made due

With candles...

And in the absence

Of an oven

We had

Pumpkin pie...

Minus the baking

And the crust...

 

 

All's well

That ends well

Right!

 

 

I love birthdays :)

Beavers or Ducks...

Trust me

I know this is

A touchy subject...

But it cracked me up

Too much

Not to post!

Yesterday

Enoch was a bit

Under the weather

However,

By mid-morning

He was back to normal

I asked him

To put on a coat

And he got

The OSU sweatshirt

That I am sure

Some avid fan

Sent us...

Anyway

I asked him

To continue resting

On the bed

As I continued

To read my bible

All of a sudden

I heard

Get this...

Duck noises

Coming from the bed

I have no idea why

But it destroyed me

That here he was

Wearing Beaver colors

And quacking

True contradiction!

Best of both worlds maybe?

:)

Autumn In Africa :)

So

A friend of mine

It a very gifted artist!

And she is always trying

To help those of us

Who aren't so "artsy"

Get in touch with

Our inner artist

So she has a little "event"

On Facebook right now...

Dedicated it Autumn

For that event

We are supposed to do

"Autumn" or "Fall" Things

 Whether it is

Crafts

Photography

Anything that has to do

With the Season

So being in Africa

Where we are in the middle

Of rainy season

Well...

I am a bit limited :)

So yesterday

I decided to try to get 

My "Autumn" on!

Here is the result...

Of my Autumn Pumpkin Soup 

:D

Love you Cassi!

Off to find the perfect pumpkin!

Eden

Enoch and Elianah

Eli and Ethan

This one is just cause

I thought the picture was pretty

And sort of artsy ;)

Back on the home front...

My cutting assistants!

Elyssa and Elijah

The onions complete

I have such amazing helpers!

Boiled pumpkin

On the way

To soup

Mashed pumpkin

With sauteed onions and garlic

Yummy

And the final result

Pumpkin soup

Accompanied

With fresh cooked chapati!

Yum :)