The Zambian Zoo: Shifting

Well, we moved back to our house last Saturday . As soon as we pulled into the drive, the girls were out the door and racing to check on the pool. (This has been the activity of choice on every visit to the house) There were squeals of glee as we announced it was ready and the race began to see who could get in their suit the fastest. As usual, mommy pulled up last, but Daddy was thankfully faster and got the three girls started. Despite the FRIGID water temperatures, we all had a great time. Olivia has a new float that she loves so now mommy doesn't have to hold her the whole time.

Also on the agenda for Saturday was mosquito nets. Now that the rains have started, the mosquitos are rampant (yet not any worse than Buttercup Drive in Birmingham--Hey Vanessa and Frances--maybe you just need to invest in some large mosquito nets to go around the sand box and porches--you'd get a lot more enjoyment out of the nice weather that way! :) ) . So with some brief instructions and 3 different types of mosquito nets (due to being purchased at different intervals), we set out to hang the nets.

Really, only Olivia's is right because we have the wrong sized nets for the other 2 beds. I hesitate to exchange the girls' because these are borrowed beds that will return to their owners at the end of the month and we're not sure what we will be using after that. Ours is on loan from the 'Needles and Crafts' where we ordered our king sized net. She didn't have any in stock so we have a smaller one to use until she's done (7-10 days) making ours. The true 'this is how it's supposed to look' pictures will have to wait a couple of weeks.

Church:

Well, we have finally tried a church. We found out at bible study that there is a congregation that meets at the girls' school at 9am on Sundays. We tried it out this past Sunday and the girls and Brad all really liked it. I'll have to form my opinion at a later date since Olivia and I spent the service walking around outside so that we wouldn't disturb anyone. I really liked the people and found that several people I had already met at school also attend this service. Brad said the teaching is fantastic and it's like being back home listening to Pastor Chris. I look forward to hearing more in the future. They said they usually have a speaker broadcasting into another room where I could take Olivia to play and still hear, but it was not set up this week.

In addition to finding a place of worship, we've also begun attending a bible study that is held at ISL (International School of Lusaka) on Sunday afternoons. We began attending last week. Brad had heard about this from a fellow collegue and christian that comes over intermittently and he goes there when he's in town. We really enjoyed it. The teaching pastor and his wife are from Texas and we met a couple who have been here since August that are from Jacksonville, FL. Her father lives in Birmingham and goes to The Church at Brookhills--what a small world it really is! There's a worship time in the beginning where we all sing together, then the kids go off to their individual bible studies. Both of the girls 'LOVED IT' (in Kaitlyn's words--though she did get s'mores in her group--think that had anything to do with it? )

PRADO, HILUX, PAJERO, .....?

I don't know if I've spoken of the cars we have been driving, but it's been a regular test drive of one after another. We started with a Toyota, Prado which is a SUV that seats 5 regularly and has 2 fold down side seats in the rear. We drove that our first week and then it was needed by someone at the company so we switched to a Toyota, Hilux quad cab. This was a small version of the truck and more compact, but we were still able to SQUEEZE the girls in the back seat, carseats, backpacks and all. A couple of days ago, we were switched to a Mitsubishi, Pajero which was a rental. It is also an SUV but with two forward facing seats that fold down in the very back. We were enjoying the Pajero (though were told not to buy one due to difficulties that have been experienced with them--what a shame :) ) It had a lot more room between the seats than even the Prado and it was an automatic, but alas, there was a diagreement with the rental company so the contract was terminated and we are back to the Hilux. We will have a car provided until Dec. 19 at which time we are responsible for finding our own transportation. All prayers are appreciated for our search for an affordable vehicle that will fit our family well.

The Party:

Now for a story about the girls....Samantha got in the car on Monday saying that she was having a party that night and did we have any balloons? I told her we did not and I didn't have food for a party or anywhere for people to sit. She was very concerned because she had already invited her friend Flo and she was coming. I assured her that Flo's mom would not bring her to the party without hearing from me first. Well, Kaitlyn jumped on the band wagon and the two of them went on and on about having a party and were visibly upset as I continued to say no. So, finally, we compromised and decided to have a family party. Kaitlyn insisted on going to the grocery store with me last Monday evening and picked out balloons and little umbrellas for the drinks. At home, she made a list of what foods they would prepare for the party: eggs, pasta with cheese sauce, and fruit. Then, she and Samantha began blowing up balloons. They were VERY unhappy that we did not have time to pull off the party THAT night, so we had party umbrellas in our drinks as a consulation. Tuesday was busy so finally on Wednesday I prepared the hard boiled eggs and pasta while the girls were at school. When they got home and I casually mentioned I had begun preparing the foods on Kailtyn's list, she had a renewed energy. Homework was finished in record time without complaints, I was instructed to cut strings for the balloons so that we could decorate and then the girls disappeared and I was not to come in the room. Both girls emerged some time later in their dresses from my sister's rehersal and dinner for her wedding and Kaitlyn had fixed Samantha's hair in a bun. I was instructed to tie the balloons around the living room and then was escorted to my room. They had picked out Brad and my attire for the party. When I went into the room (with my eyes closed of course), neatly placed on our bed (within the mosquito net) was my black dress and heels from the rehearsal and nice slacks with matching shoes and shirt for Brad (this was Brad's default outfit after they asked if he could wear his tux from the weddding). When Brad arrived home, he was met at the door by his girls wrapped in blankets so that he would not see their outfits and escorted to our room (with eyes closed of course) where he was instructed to change clothes. Then he was escorted back out to the living room (eyes closed again-it has to be a surprise) to be surprised by the "party". I have to say, the girls had a wonderful time and feel like they had a real party.

Swim Gala:

Friday of last week Kaitlyn participated in her first Swim Gala at school (swim meet). It was an interhouse gala, so the kids were divided into their "House" teams and competed against each other. Every child raced (from years 2-6) no matter how well they swim. Kailtyn began the week trying to get me to let her out of swimming and when she failed, she tried her PE coach who told her everyone swims. By the middle of the gala, she was tired of watching and asked if she could swim. She swam the freestyle (called front crawl here) and did very well. She's been proud of herself and I don't think she will hesitate to compete again.