Friday FUN day!!

today was a crazy fun day! It started with Machila and Caedmon's Great Mouse Exhibit in Language Arts. We just finished reading Ralph S. Mouse, so they each wrote a poem, drew a mouse, and made their own mouse maze. We also had some mouse nibbles! I was so grateful for our staff - about 20 people stopped by to see it, and the kids were SO proud!!

Caedmon showing off his maze with some popcorn!

Machila had an awesome maze!

Teacher Haley asked lots of questions that they loved answering!

Mulenga & Kalenga were very impressed!

Teacher Abby was the first visitor!

Meanwhile Papa Wes was busy himself.... ;) He went down to get something at the Luyando house, where the girls begged him to let them paint his nails. He said, "No, I'm a boy!" When they said, "Don't you love us, Papa Wes??" that was all it took... :)

This afternoon, it was time for our fishing trip down to the river! My Friday Youth Girls Bible Study class has had this planned for about a month, and we were all so excited!! Haley, Jenna, Sandy, Jane, & Kelsey joined me! (Kailey went to town today and Mandy stayed back for kids' discipleship classes)

Time for the cows to get a drink! At one point, I saw the cows use the bathroom in the water, a little girl swim, and an old woman fill up 2 buckets to take back to her house....

The ladies ready to catch something big! I even brought a big sharp knife, just in case!!

Still excited at this point!!

Jane caught a branch, which was more than the rest of us caught!

Haley's turn to try!

Jenna REALLY wanted to catch one too! But alas, it was not meant to be...

Two of my 7th grade girls, Lonely and Lwiito

It wasn't all a waste though - Sandy got her hair done!

Oh well, we can hand out some banana muffins that Haley made!

Barbara was the only one we saw who caught anything - two minnow-size fish... oh well! We had a blast!

My Yard!

Ok, before I do a totally pointless blog showing you the beautiful things in my yard, you can check out some construction updates at Ricky & Niki's blog: newdaycookszambia.blogspot.com

Here are some beautiful things in my yard this time of year! Many volunteers come May - August and don't get to see the beauty of the rainy season! Our banana trees are getting big!

My flower beds are also in full bloom!

We planted this flamboyant tree 3 years ago!

Along with this jacaranda!

We should get fruit off of this mango tree in 2-3 years!

This is Blu's peach tree he planted from a seed!

My rosebushes are so pretty!

Team Fun!

Working on The Ark's roof!

Jane working on painting as we remodel the entire New Day kitchen!

Sandy working hard!

Haley & Kailey making banana bread for New Day's Tuesday morning breakfast

Orrin & Claude taking a break while working on vehicles - yay for a mechanic!!!

Rod has spent a LOT of time in the bathroom ;)

During cooking class, the younger girls asked to look at Precious's memory book

Cooking Class!

It is a little crazy at New Day right now - lots of people here!!! Everyone is very busy - for instance...today...

We have a team from South Dakota here. Two of the men worked in the Wilcox bathroom fixing some major issues, and the mechanic worked on 2 of the vehicles. Wes was on the guesthouse roof, and Blu took Debbie & Nurse Mandy to the doctor in Choma after Debbie got a really bad infection in her hand. The ladies on the team got a tour, did reading tutorials, and then planned and taught a cooking class to our orphan girls! Carolyn & Diana were busy at school in the morning and afternoon. Kailey subbed for me teaching 4th grade because 2 of my children were sick, did reading tutorials, and helped with cooking class. Haley worked organizing the library, prepared snack time for the kids, did reading tutorials, and cooked supper (chicken fingers & French fries - it was smellin' good in that house!) for the 5 people in her house. Jenna had a busy morning teaching music & Bible classes, painting a bathroom in The Ark, drama in the afternoon, and still took time out to play Battleship and color with my sick children. Laurie, Niki, and I all took turns cooking for the team, while Ricky took the team on a tour and worked on future team logistics! I think that covers everyone...!!! And out of all of that, the only pics I got were of the cooking class!

No, Papa Wes, you aren't invited!!

The younger group - so silly!

Axer puts the cocoa in

Gertrude helped with the cocoa!

Kailey gets Christina aproned up!

Sandy helps our newest girl, Malilwe!

Sisi was very serious about that oatmeal!

Bashful Cynthia :)

Lusaka Fun with Family!

It has been almost a year since I'd seen my sister!! Though we live in the same country, she lives up north (close to Tanzania), and I live down south (close to Zimbabwe), so we're about 16 hours apart on terrible roads! So when we had a volunteer team flying in this weekend to Lusaka, and I found out she was going to be here with her kids while her hubby is in South Africa for medical testing, I said "We're coming too!!"

On the bus to Lusaka...took us 6 hours and 45 minutes.....

Are we there yet??

Sisters reunited!!

Caedmon & Isaac - ages 8 and 7 - immediately began wrestling!

Cason & Amos - both age 5 - are having fun together!

Isabel (age 11), Abigail (age 9), and Cambree (age 7) love being together!

I have already braided hair 4 times!

Amos had missed his Uncle Blu!

Time for supper - we headed to a Lebanese restaurant called Mezza

When they saw all the kids, they gave us our own room - ha!

Uncle Blu is so silly!

Delicious!!! I couldn't pronounce most of it, but I loved it!

Since poor Blu was the third wheel with Blake gone, we went on a date last night. First we stopped for some quick coffee before the movie. Blu ordered an espresso and it came as a tiny shot of coffee in a tiny cup. His face was priceless!!! He looked at the waiter like "Is this a joke???" ;) We then went and saw The Monuments Men and stayed up way past our normal bedtime!

We headed this morning to the Lilayi Elephant Orphanage

They couldn't wait to see the baby elephants!

All lined up - oldest to youngest - for Mama Dee & Grandpa!

Aww.. :)

Poor Cambree has a bad cold, but she's a trooper!

The little elephants held their own bottles of infant formula mixed with oats and coconut - so sweet!

Time for a stop at Sandy's for lunch and ice cream!

Dawni and I are about to go and do my team grocery shopping, and we are staying in tonight. Tomorrow morning we will head back to New Day with our team of 6 from South Dakota! I am so grateful for a couple of days with my sister!!