Winding Down

Here's some of the fun stuff we did this past weekend. The kids got to enjoy a few days at the Crane's lake house swimming in the pool and the lake. Last Thursday Nathan drove to DC to turn in our visa applications to the Cameroon Embassy, so the kids and I got out a scooter, a 2- wheeled bike and a 4- wheeled bike out of Grandpop's garage and made the mile long uphill trek to the community pool. We were so sweaty by the time we got there (it was very hot and humid), but it was worth it. It started to rain after we'd been there for about 45 min and they made everyone get out of the pool, even though there was no thunder, and wait out the storm which fortunately only lasted about a half hour. The kids spent part of that time in the warm showers because the rain was kind of cold! I think the pool is preferred over the lake now, they especially like diving in the deep end and sliding down the water slide. Wow, when did my kids outgrow swimmy diapers and waterwings?

Then, this past Saturday we got tickets for the PA Renaissance Faire and went with my parents and my nephew Chase. I asked Boaz what he wanted to do for his birthday, suggesting monster trucks or a rodeo and he said that he really liked pirates. When I looked up the Ren Faire, it just so happened to be Pirate Weekend and they had a few special things for the kids like learning how to sword fight and talk like a pirate as well as following a treasure map with clues to get some of the pirate booty at the end of the day...Aaaarr! Nathan really liked the falconry show (this owl was HUGE!) and it was impressive to see the jousting tournament. I know it was staged, but it was still really cool and took alot of skill to do the things they were doing on horseback! Nathan got some good video and I'll see if he can post it...especially the guy who did a back flip starting from the horse's back and landing on the horse's back, while it was moving!!! Ew, and the guy that swallowed swords! It made me gag just to watch, but it was fascinating.

Calendar Marked for Sept 3rd!

We have some good news! The document that we've been waiting months for finally arrived and Nathan was able to drive to DC and apply for our visas at the Cameroon Embassy. We re-booked our tickets and plan to leave on the 3rd of September.

We're very excited to get back "home". Please pray that all the traveling details will go well. Our visas and passports should arrive by mail this week, and we are doing our final packing (more like "shifting" what's already been packed -- thank the Lord that Swiss Air gave us extra baggage allowance!). We haven't had a piece of luggage lost yet, let's pray that our record continues...

Our 7 Year Old!

Boaz is now 7 (his birthday was last Friday). What a great pose before blowing out the candles! He's holding a stuffed animal owl and pirate sword, and the cute little pirate in the background is his 3 year old cousin Chloe. We had a good time with 8 of the 9 grandkids in the Crane family, doing dinner, ice cream cake and making a mess of the toys in the basement! We sure are going to miss this bunch when we go back to Cameroon. We are very glad that we were here to celebrate 2 of Nandry and Boaz' birthdays this Home Assignment, though it's still unbelievable that we've been here over a year!

Happy Reunion

The Abbott Family is back in the States now for home assignment, after 4 years in Cameroon. We are so glad that we got the chance to visit with them for a few days. The kids picked right up after a year of being away from each other...and so did the adults! We stayed up a bit late catching up on the last year and probably didn't help them get the rest they should have had during their first week back. We really are going to miss them and hope this year brings much refreshment!
We went to the World's Fair Park and played on the playground and in the fountains (which Asher enjoyed a little too much at first...think self-administered enema).

Sunday Night with Pops

I tried to tell the kids not to get in Pops' way while he was playing the marimba, but my Dad assured me that they were his accompaniment. Boaz has the 2 mallet per hand thing going on too!

New WTers...headed to Cameroon!!!

Nathan and I got to go to the final banquet for World Team's candidate orientation (RACE) last night and meet some of the folks who are interested in Cameroon, coming to Cameroon and some who will be joining the Baka team. It was so good and encouraging to talk with them and get a feel for where they are in the process and to share our pictures and videos.
Heidi, who is in the front next to me will now be raising support and is hoping to join us this fall. She will be there for at least 1-2 years working on the orchard with the Baka and making strides in small-scale farming/agriculture and targeting it to their needs.

Happy Birthday Nandry

We are celebrating Nandry's birthday this weekend at Lake Meade. Nathan's sister's family arrived late last night so Nandry woke up this morning to find her best pal Kayleigh here. She said that was the best way she could think of to spend her birthday. Later tonight my parents are arriving and later still Nathan's folks will get here. Tomorrow will be a fun party day with her more of her Crane cousins coming. It rained most of the afternoon today, but that didn't stop the kids and the guys from playing in the lake. We're hoping for a beautiful day tomorrow with sunny skies.

While We Wait

We don't have our visa, yet.


This past Saturday we took the kids to Hibernia park and went rock hopping in the Brandywine. They had a blast and it made for some nice photos. We're using bug spray, but we've found 3 ticks so far on the kids in the past 3 days. We're watching those spots closely, especially with all we've been hearing of Lyme.

This weekend we'll celebrate Nandry's 9th birthday with some of her Crane and Conrod cousins up here in PA. I'm glad that we get this extra chance to see everyone...and I'm hoping birthday presents are small and easy to pack (think DS game or money!).

Catch of the Day

Asher caught his first fish this past weekend at the Lake. I think the cape helped by giving him extra superhero strength. He was so proud! Both of the boys learned how to cast a line and got lots of practice. We threw the fish back in...maybe we'll cook them up next time.

Pre-haircut

My little thugs here, wanted mohawks when I was cutting their hair. I let them have their hair like that for one day, then finished cutting it all the next day. I didn't realize this style was back in until we went to the pool and there were a bunch of little boys with mohawks (just not spiked on the top).