This Week's Science Lesson

Nathan has the privilege to teach Science to the kids this year. Mainly because I can't do everything and he's so much better with the more hands on type learning/teaching AND he loves to play with stuff (they get to do experiments with batteries and also plant stuff and watch it grow). Our washing machine is not working, and we have tons and tons of laundry to do because of the smell and mold that is covering everything we stored for the last year. This past week when I walked out into the veranda and Nathan had the washing machine all apart, I heard him saying to Nandry, "well, after OBSERVING the washer and COLLECTING DATA, my HYPOTHESIS is that the balance switch gets triggered and stops the spin cycle, so lets TEST our hypothesis...how's that for an example of the scientific method?" It's still not working...MY hypothesis is that the circuit board is fried and we need to wait for someone to hand carry us a new one, bummer.

The Cat

Our most loyal and long-lasting pet we've had so far. Mixie the cat. As you can see, nothing, not even cobwebs on a high rooftop, will stop her from catching any lizard that dare show itself in her territory.

First Missing Tooth!

Boaz finally lost his first tooth! He's been waiting for this ever since the tooth fairy left money under Nandry's pillow during the last couple of years. Boaz has quite a thing for cash, especially free cash that he finds on the ground or UNDER HIS PILLOW!!! And, yes, the tooth fairy does come to Cameroon and leaves 500cfa for the first tooth (about a dollar).
The scab next to his mouth is from when Asher bumped the burning stick that Boaz was blowing on, right into his face. The kids are LOVING fire. They start at least one a day under the cooking shelter and now that we got them to stop throwing leaves on their fire, they are roasting their own plantains for a yummy snack.

Where to start...

I need to blog about this first month we've been back in Cameroon, but where do I start? Wayward washing machines, tumbling towers, badly behaved batteries, merciless mold and mildew, might-have-been malaria, dreadful doggie pooh, relentless rainy season, lacking language skills, scary surgeries back home... (Karen, we are trying to beat Jenn for the Ashia award).
Thought this was cute. Nandry wanted to extend friendship to the girls of the neighborhood so she got our her coloring books and crayons, locked the rough little boys out of the veranda and had a good time. The baby in the green shirt is baby Nathan, the only boy allowed in because he was being watched by his older sister. He was terrified of us when we first got here but is slowly warming up to our presence.

The Good Hurt & a Bittersweet Goodbye

Nathan posted on Facebook about some of our final preparations for Cameroon, including a last trip to Taco Bell. It is our preferred fast food, even over McD's. I can't believe how many meximelts, soft tacos and been burritos Nathan and the kids can down. I can't even eat the salads (which are insanely expensive compaired to the rest of the menu) because they are served on fried flour tortillas, and I have a wheat gluten sensitivity...though I take my chances some times and suffer for it. Ooooh, I just googled Taco Bell and am looking at the allergen list (wow, no MSG) -- not much I can eat but rice & pintos! So, I pretty much watched them scarf down their last instant tacos, took some pictures and sipped a strawberry-mango frutista freeze. I was reminding the kids about the few times we went out to eat in Cameroon, and what it was like. We would receive a menu, study it for a while, then order. The waitress would come back in 2 minutes and say, "we don't have that", so we'd order again and get a reply of, "we don't have that either". After about 4 tries, we finally ask what they do have and order accordingly. Next, we watch the waitress, armed with a market bag, leave the restaurant and return 10 minutes later. Then, after trying to keep the kids occupied for the next hour while the cook prepares the things they just bought at the market (still not sure why they claim to be "out" of certain menu items), and having long ago finished our drinks, our food arrives. It's usually pretty good, just beware of the fermented ketchup that's been sitting out unrefridgerated for a few weeks. Ah, we'll enjoy Cameroon but we'll miss the good hurt of Taco Bell.

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!