We have been working on doing preschool at home at least a few days a week. Taylor is doing amazing and learning so much. We’ve started making the alphabet fun. Here is a sample of the letter A that I got the idea from the site http://homeschoolcreations.blogspot.com/ under the “ABCs” tab.
Also, a friend just told me about this awesome site http://www.starfall.com/ where it teaches children letters and to read. I taught Taylor how to use the laptop and she begs to play it everyday.
Brent and I just love our kids so much. The last few days I have tried to pick up the camera a bit more to capture some moments in our lives. Here are some of my favorites:
We picked up this “Toy Story” Woody hat and vest from a friend and have had lots of fun with it.
We have been using cloth diapers with Bradyn since he has been born. I thought I would do a blog about it to give the positives and negatives just in case you were considering using them. Disposable diapers here in Africa are very expensive, so we looked at getting cloth diapers to be more cost effective…not because we want to “go green”. We ordered the one size diapers that adjust on the inside of the leg as well as the snaps on the outside and spent about $150 total for everything. Overall that is very cheap if it can get us through to potty training. Some of the negatives are that we have to use a specific detergent to make them more absorptive (Charlie’s Soap) because in the beginning we did not use this and the diapers leaked a lot. We have to wash diapers about every 2 days (they came with 6 covers and multiple inserts). Last negative is the poo’s. We do put diaper liners in the inserts but still it can be a bit messy.
Honestly, if I had my choice I would rather use disposables but have been happy with the cloth diapers we have chosen (Fuzzi Bunz www.fuzzibunz.com).
My little boy is growing up so quickly. He is just over 4 months old and is really the sweetest little boy ever. He loves to smile and try to grab at his big sister. He is a healthy 16.5 pounds now, but still not sleeping through the night…he just loves his momma so much he wants to see her through the night (at least that’s what I’m telling myself). His middle name is Hunter so the Botswana people here call him “Motsumi” (Mo-tsoo-mee) which is hunter in Setswana. We love him so much!
This past Saturday, the Wint’s arrived with their 2 1/2 week old baby boy, Matthew Christopher, to spend a few days with us. We had such a great time watching Taylor and Madylanne play together and the babies were just in awe of their big sisters. What great friends the Wint’s are of ours and we are so thankful for their friendship.
Madylanne and Matthew & Bradyn and Taylor
Melynda with her sweet baby boy, Matthew
Taylor and Madylanne decided to paint the bikes with chalk and then wash them. They did get a bit wet in the process as well.
Above: Madylanne the cat. Below: Taylor the princess
What sweet friends!
Just wanted to put a plug out there for one of my friends who just wrote a book about her experience. Her name is Ashley Thaba and she used to be a journeyman here in Botswana. She married a Batswana man and they have 2 beautiful children, Anna Catherine and Caleb and live here in Gaborone, Botswana. She wrote this story about the birth of her 2nd born, Caleb, with all of its complications and he truly is a miracle baby. He is now 1 year old and doing amazing. If you are reading this from the US and would like te order a book then please contact me at bltast@hotmail.com and I plan on shipping some to America in May. Below is the excerpt from the back cover and you can check out this link to see a 5 minute You Tube clip of Caleb http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4kmQXuaonE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL.
“Due to negligence of doctors, little Caleb is missing significant parts of his brain. It is the heartbreaking true story of what happens when a doctor makes a mistake and a tiny life is jeopardized.
An American mother tells of the tragic birth of her baby boy in a private hospital in Botswana. When she suspects her baby is dying, she arranges an emergency air evacuation to South Africa. There she learns she arrived just in time to save her baby’s life.
Readers will relate with her anger towards the doctors, her doubts about whether God can help her son and her hopelessness as she is forced to watch her innocent child suffer. Yet, the story takes a twist as she begins to surrender her life to God and find peace in His promise to take care of her and her son.
Conquering the Giants is a story of hope. Even on the darkest days light can still shine through. No matter what obstacle you are facing. Caleb’s story will give you hope that if you seek God first you can overcome any ‘giant’.”
Once a week, Amanda and Taylor have started volunteering at a Feeding Project in an area of Gaborone called Old Naledi. This feeding project was started by 2 of the Baptist churches here in Gaborone. They feed about 130 children Monday-Friday for lunch.
The children are so precious. Taylor enjoys playing with them before their meal is served. Here’s a few shots of some of the children.
We knew that it would be a hot day when we looked at the temperature reading at 9 am and it was already well over 90 degrees!
It was 105.1 outside and 93.6 inside! On top of that the power went off for almost 3 hours yesterday and 6 hours today! When the power is out we have no fans and no way to cool off. We love Botswana but it sure does get hot!
This past Sunday, Amanda had the opportunity to teach sunday school at Lobatse Baptist Church to about 30 children ranging in age from 2 years old to 11 years old. We had a great time and were able to do some crafts thanks to a church from Rocky Mount, NC. We talked about the 7 days of Creation. Here are some shots of the precious faces of some of the children.
My cousin sent some beautiful monogrammed towels for the children. Couldn’t resist getting some cute shots of them after a bath one night. Thanks, Lisa!!
