Little Foot Turns Nine

Turning nine is a big deal in our house. Since we have so many kids, we usually don't invite friends over for birthday parties. After all, every day is a party in our crazy home. But the planets happened to align the year Miss Bookworm turned nine and we had a friend party for her. Since then it has become a tradition that every child who turns nine gets a friend birthday party. We had a total of 17 nine year old boys at our house recently to celebrate and it was a fun (and energetic) time.

CrazyMom had the opportunity to make an ice cream cake for Little Foot for a celebration with grandparents, cupcakes for a classroom celebration, and then the cake for the official birthday party. It certainly takes a lot of cooking for all of that celebrating.

My Missing Jeans

“Um, Hon . . .” I said sheepishly. “Can you help me find my jeans?”

The whole family was supposed to be headed out the door in about 10 minutes and here I was begging CrazyMom to help my find my pants. It is always rather humiliating for me to have to go to CrazyMom with such requests – the type of requests that our kids make of her all day long.

She started up the steps quizzing me along the way.

“Did you look in your dresser?”

“Yes,” I replied. (I mean, come on hon. How bad am I?)

“Did you look in the pile of clean clothes by your dresser?”

“Yes,” I said, wincing because I knew that the clothes had been there a week and I had not put them away yet.

“How about the laundry?”

“Yes, I checked the laundry.”

Upon entering our room, CrazyMom went straight to my unpacked suitcase from a trip two weeks ago, reached into the bottom of it and pulled out my missing jeans. She held them out to me with an I-am-so-good-and-you-know-I-am-so-good-so-I-don’t-have-to-let-the-kids-know-about-this-like-you-would-have-to look.

“Thanks,” I said truly appreciative and in awe of how CrazyMom always knows where everything is. But I also wondered if she knew the whole time where my pants were but just wanted to be there for this moment.

You know, I guess part of me is looking forward to selling most of what we have as we go off to Africa. Maybe with so much less stuff even I will be able to find things like CrazyMom.

Back to School!

Soccer is Back!

Today was the opening day for the new soccer season with two teams playing five games. What a great day for soccer!

The Smokies

Last week Grandma and Grandpa hosted us in the Smokies.  It was wonderful.  Lots of hiking, playing in mountain streams, and seeing bears.  I highly recommend that all of you start planing a vacation trip to the Smokies.





If the above slide show does not work, try this link.

Hey, Blog Readers!

If you have read our big news, then you know we are looking to move to Africa, Lord willing, next summer.  CrazyMom and I are putting together an email list where we will occasionally send out updates about this move in our lives.  We will certainly still be sharing about some things here on the blog, but the updates will provide another avenue of a slightly different nature to find out what is going on.  If you would like to receive updates from us, then simply send us an email at welovebigfamilies [at] gmail [dot] com and we will add you to our list.  Also, it would be great if you shared a little bit about yourself with us so we can get to know you more.

We look forward to having many of you along for the ride as we look ahead to Africa!

Trip to Rift Valley Academy

On the last day of school this year I attended graduation in the morning where I am teaching and then headed to the airport to go to Africa. As I was sitting with the faculty on the senior quad watching the graduation ceremony, I simultaneously felt more distant and more present. Thinking about my imminent departure made me acutely aware of all of the details around me.

The purpose of my trip was to visit Rift Valley Academy – a large boarding school in Kenya for the children of missionaries all over Africa.  Maybe it was an indicator of my lack of faith, but I was hesitant to head off to candidate week with Africa Inland Mission the next week without having the opportunity to stand on campus and see firsthand the work that the Lord is doing there. So I asked if I could “stop by” to check things out.

The trip was wonderful in so many ways. I had the chance to see the campus and meet a lot of faculty, staff, and students. It was a study of similarities and contrasts for me as I could not help comparing all of the different aspects of RVA to where I am currently teaching.

Here are a few photos of my trip that should help you get a feel for the school.

Above is the main administration building.  In front you can see a commemorative rock that was placed there on their 100 year anniversary.

This is the main academic quad.

A math classroom.  Go Math!

A chem classroom.  Go Science!  (OK, so I am partial to math and science.)

Look!  They even have computer labs.  (Note the nice thin client solution.)

Here is a second grade classroom.

Here is a rugby field.  The school is on a mountain so a field like this has a retaining wall on the left and an apparent cliff on the right.  In the distance is the Rift Valley.  It was great to be there during the rainy season when things were green.  Things get pretty brown during the dry season.

One last shot of a walkway on campus.  Not much is flat and with the 100 year history, they have a lot of beautiful trees on campus.

Big News. Really Big News.

No, we are not adopting.

It is always good to state that right up front and even though I do, I suspect I will still be congratulated sometime soon about our upcoming adoption.

This time it is news of a different nature. No sense in beating around the bush – CrazyMom and I have joined a mission agency (Africa Inland Mission) and, Lord willing, our family will move to Africa next summer.

Now some of you are probably thinking that you always suspected something like this. After all, we are crazy. Others are probably shocked because you never really believed we were crazy. Now you know better.

But, in fact, while it is a bit scary for us, it does not seem crazy at all. It simply seems like the next step that the Lord is asking us to take.

Now you may have a few questions about all of this –Why Africa? What will you be doing there? Have you been consuming illegal substances? Some of these answers can be found at our website here and others I will try to answer over the next few days as I post here.

Update Sidebar Photos

Yes.  Finally.  I have been hearing complaints for over a year that I have not updated the sidebar photos on our blog.  I did not think that is had been all that long, but when I just went back to look I see that it was all the way back in April of 2008.  (You can see the old photos here.)  After putting it off for so long, it was a little embarrassing how quickly we were able to step out back and snap the photos.  I just wish CrazyMom had not been around.  Then I could have told her how I labored all morning long on the project!

Here are the new and old photos for posterity's sake.

Our Anniversary

It was our anniversary the other night and CrazyMom and I went out for dinner.  I am inclined to say, "With as many kids as we have underfoot, it is good to get out of the house for some time alone," but that would not be honest.  Sure we have lots of kids, but they are not what keep CrazyMom and I from connecting.  If anything, their demands often bring us together - around the dinner table or around the campfire.  What keeps us from connecting is the to-do list.  So the more accurate statement is, "With as many things as I have on my to-do list, it is good to get out of the house for some time alone."

During my burn-the-to-do-list night, CrazyMom and I saw some wild things.  We went to an area where there were lots of restaurants and shops on a night when the weather was inviting people to be outside.  If you have ever seen one of those nature shows with exotic birds that do crazy calls and gestures in order to attract a mate, then you can imagine the scene.  Not only were many people dressed like they were looking for a mate, but when they were standing around talking to the people in their small groups their eyes were constantly scanning the crowds looking for that perfect person. 

There is no question that their methodology is fraught with peril - shorts that don't quite cover one's cheeks is not a good indicator of lasting love.  Yet I do hope they find the person for which they are looking.  As I sat there with my bride of 17 years, I know that I have and it has made all the difference in the world.