New Family Pictures

 

Day 1 Continued - meeting kids at Canaan Children's Home

 Thursday afternoon we arrived at Canaan Children's Home where we stayed for the next 5 night. The kids were so excited for us to be there, we could hardly get off the bus.

 Bobby had a contingency of boys who follwed him everywhere he went. All the kids found him when they wanted to be tossed up in the air... some of them were too big for this, but he tried anyway!

 They were very entertained by his amazing ability to stick his stomach out.

 The kids who lived on the street outside the orphanage would stand at the gate and wave and put on a show for us. So cute.

Eva, Olivia, and Sarah were the girls I got to know the best. All the kids sort of attatched themselves to someone and would be waiting for you to come out of your dorm, walk you to meals, and want to hang out during any spare moment you had. They were sweet girls. Eva is 6, Olivia 15, and Sarah 14. Sarah and Eva are half sisters and had another sister Emma and brother Joseph at the orphanage as well. We read lots of stories from the Jesus Storybook Bible. The loved to read!

We ate almost all our meals at Canaan's. Mama Rebecca, the directors wife, cooked for us every day. She was so gracious and fed us very well.

Uganda - Day 1 - April 26th

 Landed at Etebbe. Collected all forty something bags.... what a miracle that they all made it! Got Visas. Loaded up and ready to go! Our team was made up of 20 girls and 3 guys from all over the US and 3 from Mexico.

 There were no burnt out and abandoned airplanes on the runway that I could see. This was more reassuring than what I saw the last time I landed in Africa. :)

 Uganda is beautiful, green, lush, and has red dirt roads that remind me of the red Georgia clay I grew up with.

This is a typical shopping strip on the side of the road. Most of the shop owners live in the back of their shop. Almost every child you pass on the road smiles and waves enthusiastically. The adults wave too, for that matter... Ugandans are very friendly.

Sweetness

I mean seriously, I could eat those cheeks!

The Fiddler's Jamboree

Almost every year we go to the Fiddler's Jamboree over the 4th for a little blue grass music and buck dancing. It is in Smithville, TN about 20 minutes fromt Bobby's parent's lake house. Charlie loves it! He danced to almost every song and clapped along to the music. He also didn't mind the funnel cake or ice cream. Can't blame him.

Cloth Diapering

Just an FYI to anyone considering cloth diapers... they are great! I had reservations about how time consuming it would be to launder, dry, and fold them. But, they are no big deal to clean and work really well. No more leaks than with disposable. I use Bum Genius and have loved them. So, if you are on the fence, take the plunge.

4 Months

Ellie at 4 months... she loves bath time and is so happy after while she plays on her changing pad. What a cutie!

Charlie and Daddy

Charlie LOVES his daddy. Bobby went to put Charlie to bed a couples weeks ago and never came back... so sweet!

Charlie likes to help dad blow of the driveway. This is a ritual, he's been ridding on dad's shoulders while working in the yard since he was a year old. He loves it!

Family Pictures

These are family pictures that were taken when Ellie was 2 weeks old. They were taken by our friend Emily Gary. She is starting up her photography business and you can find her at hilovephotography.com. Enjoy!

One month old

Ellie at one month... she is such a sweet baby and we love every minute with her!

Firsts...

Ellies 1st Sunday to go to church...

First bath...

First time going to our Friday morning family breakfast!

The first couple weeks

Charlie's 3rd Birthday!

Charlie is such a sweet kid. He is very verbal... talks all the time! He loves trucks, guns, animals, building things, and fights "bad guys" most of the day. He is strong willed and knows exactly what he wants... this is good and bad. He loves his baby sister and has been found in her room singing to her, asks to pray for her, and tells everyone that he is going to "keep her safe". Charlie loves to wrestle with his dad, go hiking and "hunting", and loves trips to the river to fish or explore. He loves to read books and enjoys helping me in the kitchen. We are so thankful for the last 3 years and pray for many many more to come!