Last Mugshot - March 31st

The last day of the month is always a little insane for me! If I'm not in the classroom teaching Math or Reading, then on the last day of the month I can be found gluing monthly receipts, transferring paypal money and figuring out fees, entering American payroll and distributing monthly donations for our American volunteers, walking around the property paying our Zambian employees (if I'm ever snake-bitten it will most likely be on the last day of the month...), and closing out the month's financial books. That sentence made me exhausted! :)

Gluing receipts, with Cambree & Reagan watching... (not much to do if watching someone glue receipts is your entertainment!)

I have really enjoyed Mugshot March and hope that it gave you a little glimpse into my every day life at New Day! Every day is different! I am closing out the month by finalizing our furlough tickets - we leave in 4 months and 6 days!

Mugshot - March 30th

Reading class this afternoon - I read them The Story of the Easter Bunny - such a good one! :) Have no fear - our kids know ALL about the true meaning of Easter!

Mugshot - March 29th

A lazy, rainy, Sunday afternoon with no electricity!

Kids Club and More!

this is a random conglomeration (woohoo! I used a big word!) of pictures from the last couple of days!

For their treasure chest reward, Phillip, Joseph, and Mweene chose 2 weight-training sessions with Papa Wes!

Meanwhile, Caedmon, Misheck, and Muchoni chose lunch & a movie at the Wilcox house!

Me & Cambree hanging out at Kids Club

Me & Mapalo - I cannot help but love Mulenga's tiny little boy!!

My girls in the truck on our way to youth girls' Bible study Friday afternoon

Alex pitching in a fierce kickball game

Blu thought Jesus just might come through these clouds this afternoon at Kids Club!

Cynthia helping to dry dishes after Kids Club

This is my "Wow this is a lot of kids at Kids Club" face!

167 plates to wash, rinse, & dry! Thankful for lots of good help today!

Gertrude was excited to get to first base!

Nobody can outrun Sisi!

Vanessa standing in front of her grandma's memorial light

Soccer!

Laurie & Baby Emma

Laurie, Niki, & the twins

Poor Reagan cut her finger today slicing an apple :( I told her to "show me her sad face," but in reality she acted like it was no big deal!

Sidney & Baby Justin

Mugshot - March 28th

This girl spent most of her day knitting!

And a Happy Birthday to our adorable nephew who gives awesome cuddles - AJ!

Mugshot - March 27th

Do you want to build a snowman? That song has been in my head all day as my Kindergarten and 1st Grade Writing Club classes finished up their literature/writing unit on The Snowy Day! The kids had a blast building snowmen out of marshmallows, toothpicks, and raisins! :)

Future engineers?

The First Grade Class

Glory and her snowman

First team day!

I won't promise to post every day, but I did have my camera with me today and got a few shots of the team!

Cason, Caedmon, & Peyton enjoyed some Mario on the Wii on their lunch break!

Pastor Mark & Emma (Wes took this pic)

Sidney & Malilwe reading a book

Mrs. Vanessa reading to my Reading class

Gertrude practicing her reading with Cambree

I had to laugh - in my Reading class, Kelitah did NOT like the snake pictures in this book, so when it was her turn to read she barely opened the pages so she wouldn't have to see the pictures! :)

Mugshot - March 26th

New American friends for our kids! (who can teach them how to speak American English... ;)

Cambree & Reagan

Cambree said, "I LOVE Sidney and Reagan!! They are short just like me!!!!" :)

Mugshot - March 25th

Today begins New Day's 2015 Volunteer Season!! We have a full schedule ahead (teams today through September with very little breaks in between!) Today, two groups arrive.

The Garrett Family - Alex (who came on a 2 week trip last summer), Vanessa, and Payton, Sidney, & Regan are coming to serve at New Day for one month! They will be a huge help during the month of April when all of the New Day kids are out of school!

Mark & Dan are also here from Wagoner, OK on a 4 day vision trip to see what New Day is all about and see if their church might be interested in partnering with our ministry!

The Ark is ready (thanks to the Cooks!), the team is on the bus, the burgers are ready to be grilled, and we are geared up and ready to go for volunteer season! :)

Mugshot - March 24th

6am quiet times on the front porch (Cason was still asleep)

Mugshot - March 23rd

I was so excited to get these pics of my sister & her family via email this morning when I woke up! They are on furlough in the USA until October!

Blake, Dawnya, Isabel, Abigail, Isaac, & Amos

Mugshot - March 22nd

We have lived in our house for 4 years, 2 months, and 22 days. Not ONCE in all that time have I rearranged one piece of furniture - not one! (Does that speak to my personality?? Someone who doesn't like change??? ;) After seeing Laurie's newly rearranged living room, and Niki (who is constantly rearranging) telling me she has rearranged her bedroom about 5 times in their 18 months here, I got motivated! So this afternoon, we had a family project of rearranging things in our house - fun fun!

We finally did away with our mosquito net...after 7 total years in Zambia we have all had malaria many times. We rarely see ANY mosquitoes here, so we feel pretty safe..

Caedmon did his whole room by himself..making his Rogers Eagles banner the focal point ;)

Cambree, my little packrat.... I had to abandon the project when it came to her room...couldn't handle the chaos. Thankfully, Daddy intervened and helped!

Cason's room didn't get done, but he did help work on our living room!

Mugshot - March 21st

Laundry!

Blu's Saturday: Slept until 7:30am, ate pancakes & drank coffee, played Mario on the Wii, mowed the lawn, did some video editing, went to Kids Club (he taught the lesson..from 2 Kings where the children were laughing at the bald man!)

Darbi's Saturday: Slept until 8:30am, ate pancakes & drank coffee, did Yoga, finished my picture table, cleaned the porch & living room/kitchen, did laundry, surfed the internet, went to Kids Club (180 kids today!!!!!)

Caedmon's Saturday: Slept until 6:30am, played the Wii, left at 8:45am and herded goats with Misheck & Muchoni until 12:30pm. Ate lunch at New Day kitchen, played in the sand with the boys, went to Kids Club

Cambree's Saturday: Slept until 6:30am, read a book, left at 8:45am to play with Kelitah ALL day long (cooked maize & okra and played in the sand), ate lunch at New Day kitchen, went to Kids Club

Cason's Saturday: Slept until 6:63am (that's what he told me...), played the Wii, left at 8:45am to play house with Kefbert and Prince (he was the Grandpa..) and have stick swordfights, ate lunch at New Day kitchen, went to Kids Club, smashed heads with Emanuel at Kids Club and has a giant goose egg.
It was a great, restful Saturday at the Tidwell house - just what we needed!

Mugshot - March 20th

It's slab pouring day at New Day! Slab pouring days mean lots of workers, lots of pit sand, lots of river sand, lots of crushed stones, and LOTS of cement!

8am

12pm - going to be a long day! (everything mixed by hand of course)

Glory in Computer Class

Kefbert - looks like a Picasso to me!

Today is Malilwe's 7th birthday!

And another birthday shout out to my nephew Brenden! We haven't seen him in 2 1/2 years, but hopefully we'll get to see him in December!! He is 7 today!