Happy Birthday Jesus!

We bucked all forms of tradition this year and DIDN'T have Church on Christmas day! (gasp)
Instead we had a birthday PARTY for Jesus the Sunday AFTER Christmas. We bought tinsel and put it up the best we could, on the cement counters and walls.

Baby Girl provided the entertainment for our guests while we waited for the decorating to stop and the party to begin.

She is actually quite good at her tricks. She can make a :cup and saucer, the Eiffel tower, a winking eye, chicken feet and do lots of weaving in and out. The children as well as the adults were fascinated by her talent.

What party is complete with out games??? We did a water balloon toss, marshmallow toss, and a popcorn toss. There were SEVERAL really wet people by the end of the day!

Everyone wears their Christmas best for Church the day after Christmas.... and these ladies didn't let that keep them from participating in the water balloon toss! All the adults were GREAT sports by jumping in and playing with the children!

After games we ate cake and punch.... but I was too busy cutting and dishing up to take pictures. After cake we had gifts. There were kid gifts, women gifts and men gifts. All the children received colored pencils. Super fun!

All the adult gifts came with verses. The women got either : an umbrella (He is our shade) OR tea, sugar and a mug (taste and see that the Lord is good) OR soap and lotion (we are the fragrance of Christ).

The men received "diaries" (Cultural note: what we call a "planner" and use to "plan" out our time, they call a "diary" and use to record what they did with their time.) (He ordains our days) or a watch (There is a time for everything).

All in All it was a GREAT time for everyone who came. It was the highlight of the holidays for many of the locals. VERY, VERY unlike any Christmas service, or party for that matter that they have EVER been too!

Christmas Day

Christmas day was fun..... and strange at the same time. We tried really hard to get into the "Christmas" spirit, but 80 degree weather some how dampens the mood, especially after the rare white Christmas we enjoyed last year.The girls made gifts for one another. Baby Girl drew this picture of "little monkey" for her little sister Snuggle Bug. AMAZING right! She is a budding artist and has a lot of talent. (really they all do!)Curly and I make "little monkey" a bed complete with a blanket that matches SB's. Fun Story: While I was making the pillow, SB saw it and asked if it could be a pillow for LM. I told a little white Christmas lie (are those allowed?) and said that it was a pin cushion ;). For 3-4 days after she saw it she asked if LM could have it! She was super surprised when LM did get it along with a bed and a blanket.

Part of the reason this year was so fun..... we opened ALL our gifts at once. No traveling from Grandparent to Grandparent and getting gifts at each stop... it was ALL for ONE!

Every one got bikes this year. SB and Curly's are exactly the same, only different sizes. This one is SB's. We have already had some minor crashes and both the little girls have vowed to never ride again, several times..... but slowly they are getting the hang of things.

Here are Sweat Peas and Curly's bikes. SP's is a "road bike". It reminds me of the bike Mrs. Gulch rides in "The Wizard of OZ". I think that I might have to borrow SP's bike and go for a ride one day!

There were clothes galore, toys, movies, books, puzzles and games..... tons and tons of weekend entertainment! We were EXTREMELY BLESSED this year!

THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!

One Year!

It was one year ago today that we landed in our new home!  Can you believe it!?!  

It really blows my mind how quickly it has gone by.  We have loved most every moment.  It is a super crazy adventure raising 4 girls in a foregin country and they are doing wonderful.

Happy Anniversiary to the Forester Clan!

Christmas Eve PJ's

Who doesn't like new pajamas???  Christmas present #1..... opened up the night before so you can wear them while you stay up waiting for the morning to arrive and look decent when you finally get to take Christmas pictures  open presents.

Back Blogging

I think that back blogging should be and official cyber term.  Or maybe backblog - (v) The process of blogging about events that have long since past. 

As I sit at home on Saturday, late evening catching up on all the information that I have neglected lately, I'm in my PJ's, the house is empty and quiet, AND the Internet is cooperating!  Yippee!  I realized that the amount of blogging I might get to catch up on could possibly become overwhelming, so after post this I am going to "post date" all my blogs so that you can enjoy them over the next few days.  See I really do love you!

 Practicing out in the yard.... we had some seriously injured cereal boxes after practice!

 Snuggle Bug, up close.  I think I was trying to snap a picture of her wounded eye, but who knows.

 Mom trying her hand at archery.  It's been a LONG time since archery lessons a camp.

 Tom boy through and through.  We have some new friend here in Uganda. There are 4 kids 13-girl, 11-boy, 9-girl, 7-boy and we have to remind our Tom boy that  she needs to play with all her friends!

It may look big.... but she can handle it like a PRO.

Chirstmas Service

December 19th was our Christmas service. Our kids had been working hard on learning "Silent Night"
& "Joy to the World".  It was awesome to hear them singing about the saviors birth.

 They also worked up a little drama. The kids acted out the birth of Jesus, while one of our helpers read from the Bible in Achoil Luo.

 Here "Baby Jesus" is being "delivered"

 Sweet Pea and Becky Ann enjoyed the morning entertainment.

I wish I had thought to bring my video camera...  it would have be priceless!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Can I just simply say that time flies far to quickly!  My Baby Girl turned 11 last month (yes, in December) I can still remember the night before we went to the hospital, standing in front of the Christmas tree taking the standard "I'm having a baby tomorrow - side profile - shot" and Kent teasing me that I was bigger than the tree! (In my defence....It was a small tree).

 An now here we are 11 years later, celebrating in Uganda of all places! Who would have ever guessed?!?

 B-day Girl holding her cake....  In the past, I have always enjoyed busting out the Wilton cake decorating "tool box" and mixing up  beautiful colors to adorn the cake "shape" of their choice, but since moving to Uganda.... we have had to be a little less elaborate.  BG did however come up with this cute two layered cake design, complete with sprinkles.

 She needs help "showing" her age these days.  Ten from Sugglebug + on from Curly.

 Mountain bike.... blue. That was her "big" gift this year.  We don't have side walks... but then we have NEVER had a good sidewalk for bike riding.  We are going to try and "exercise" together, she can ride while I walk. That way she can ride more than the 20 feet or so that is our driveway, and I have a walking buddy.

 Birthday Kisses!!

Her other request was "hunting" stuff.  So this is and honest to goodness African bow and arrow.  You can get them in the market and they come with 4-5 arrows. Some of the security guards use these at their jobs, when you are hiring a guard.... the price all depends on whether they carry a bow or a gun.