Livin' on Island Time

We left last Saturday for Hilton Head, SC.  Thankfully, the trip to the island was rather uneventful.  We arrived in time for the kids to put their feet in the water but it was almost dark.  So they had to wait until the next day to get in past their knees.  The galloon of ice cream we bought at the local grocery store made them go from laments to laughter rather quickly.

Sunday morning we went to church at Hilton Head Presbyterian Church.  It was recommended to us by the couple who own the condo we are using.  It is important to us as a family that we worship with other believers on Sunday no matter where we are if at all possible.  We enjoyed the worship service then headed to lunch.  After lunch we hit the water.  Sea shell collecting, wave riding, sand digging and bike riding adventures were in the making all afternoon.

One of the best things we did for this week was to rent bicycles for everyone.  We have them for the entire week.  We have been on them everyday.  The island is flat for the most part so we can ride and ride and ride.

We have access to an indoor and an outdoor pool as well as the beach being less than a 5 minute walk away.  It's even closer on bikes! 

So this week we are "livin' on island time"...and it is very nice!

Swimming

All four children are participating in a new sport (to them) this summer - swimming.  Our neighborhood has a pool and swim team so we thought we'd let them give it a try.  I have to say that the season did not start off very well.  I left the pool every day from practice with at least one child crying - but it was never the same child.  One day, all four were crying at some point during the practice.

But Dad and Mom told them that they had to stick with it before deciding if they liked it or not.  There was some grumbling in the ranks but now they are glad they didn't quit.  They are having  a great time and look forward to the next practice or meet.

We've had four swim meets so far.  They are getting quite a collection of ribbons while learning a lifelong skill AND having fun!  They have certainly risen to the challenge.  We are very proud of them!

 At the first meet we were just glad they were jumping in the water!

 And there they go...

 We told them, "Start and finish!  Start and finish!  That's all we expect!"

 He was telling me "I'm not doing this!"...

 But he did.

 H has to make two laps in her age division.  She is a real trooper keeping up with the kids who have been swimming much longer than her.

 Pep talk from one of the coaches.  They have great coaches who have been very patient with our four swimmers!

 Relay...they love the relays!

 I got some good shots of C on this event.

 She finished!

 Here comes B!

 Finish!

 H has been working on the butterfly.  She can finally do it without stopping.

These two on a relay team can only mean one thing...good times!

Virginia Beach 2012

We always look forward to our beach trip to visit Jane and Laura each summer.  This year was a little different because they went to Florida while we were at their house so we didn't get to see them.  ("Virginia Beach isn't the same without Miss Jane and Miss Laura!" was heard often.)  But we did enjoy the beach!

 (We talked about how the Campbells crate could have been on a ship like the one in the background.  Maybe it went through Norfolk!?)

The excitement continued as we had to have our van towed back to the house one night.  The two guys rode home in the tow truck.  Some very nice people on the beach gave the four girls a ride back home.  They wouldn't let us pay them anything.  They only asked that we pray for their son, Roosevelt Gray, who is serving in Afghanistan right now.  We are certainly doing that!

Thankfully, a friend in Virginia Beach loaned us her van so we could continue our fun while the van was being repaired.  Thanks, Susan!

Hummm...

How is it that my daughter has more blog followers than I do?

Oh, don't say it.  I really do intend to start blogging again.  Life has been super busy.  But that means I have lots to blog when I get the time.

Earrings and Plastic Tubs

It was easy the first time.  Our oldest daughter was very responsible with cleaning her ears, keeping her earrings in her ears, following directions.  Then the twins graduated from Kindergarten and they wanted their ears pierced.  Sure.  Why not?  It was easy. 

Within six months C had lost the back of one earring and E had lost one of her earrings.  E had no idea what happened to it.  It was gone.  We searched her bed, the bathroom (where they clean them), the van.  It was not to be found.  I was so disappointed that she had lost half of her first pair of earrings. 

Two or three months later we had friends moving to Nigeria as missionaries.  They were moving with five children and almost 30 - yes, thirty - pieces of luggage.  Folks were praying that they wouldn't lose their kids.  I was praying they wouldn't lose any luggage.  After all that luggage held most of their earthly possessions.  They had simplified to the bare minimum plus a few family keepsakes. 

They arrived safely in Nigeria.  Although they experienced a brief time of anxiety over some paperwork - their visas - they were there.  Minus three pieces of luggage.  After filing a lost baggage claim and waiting a few days, they were notified that their luggage had arrived.  Ryan went to claim it and took it back to the house.  Upon careful examination, he discovered that one of the pieces was not theirs.  (They had packed in plastic tubs which is common with folks traveling to Africa.)

The airline had no idea what had happened to their piece of luggage.  This was the piece that contained items the children had chosen to keep.  I was so sad for them.  I asked God, "Why don't you just send them back their tub!?  I know you can do it.  But will you?"  Just as I was talking to God - yes, I was doing the talking - He answered me.  H ran into the kitchen and said, "Mom!  Mom!  Look what I just found on the deck!"  It was E's earring that had been lost for two or three months.  It had been on the deck.  It had rained.  We had walked out there.  Dad had grilled out there.  And that very small earring had remained on that deck to be found at just that moment.  "Okay, God.  I hear You."

A few days later, that plastic tub ended up on a different airline in their hometown in NC - the hometown they left in October.  No one knows how it got there.  But it was there.  Only the airline wouldn't release it to be returned without the other airline "reopening" the baggage claim.  Well, the airports in Nigeria are not the most techonogically advanced to be found.  Think triplicates for baggage claim forms.  And they weren't even answering the phone. 

That's when I received the call.  Our friends called and said, "Will you help us?"  I was so ready to help them.  I wrote down all the info and as soon as we ended our call, I started calling.  But I was getting no where.  Then E came walking through and I saw the earrings.  And I remembered that God still knew what was happening.  Later that afternoon, the phone rang.  It was the airline in NC returning my call.  Sending the tub without an open baggage claim was not "normal procedure".  Yes, I knew that.  However, by the end of the call I had a tracking number.  The tub would leave NC the very next day to arrive three days later in Nigeria.

Once again, God smiled on me.  The tub arrived a day sooner than expected.  And when Ryan went to return the tub that wasn't theirs and claim their tub, all the contents were still in it!  That tub had flown from Vancouver, B.C. to Nigeria to North Carolina and back to Nigeria.  Count how many customs agents had access to it.  (African customs agents are not always the most honest folks you can find.)  And yet all their items were still in it. 

And so now when I see E's earring, I think of how much God cares about every detail of our lives.  Earrings, plastic tubs, parking spaces, friends for our children, jobs, everything.  I want to trust Him more and more each day.  Even for the "little things".

Ambitions

Funny quote by E:

"When I grow up, I am not going to be a Sumo wrestler.  Have you seen what they have to wear?!''

Language Lesson: Moo Talk

E:  When a cow moo's can other cows understand it?

C:  Only if they are in the same family or live in the same country.

Medicine Map

As I was giving C some pain reliever for an ear ache...

C:  Mom, how does the medicine work?
Mom:  It makes the pain stop.
C:  But how does the medicine know where to go?
Mom:  It just starts looking.
C:  But where does it start?
Mom:  I don't know.
C:  Probably in my tummy.