Happy Birthday Seth!

Today our middle son, Seth, is TWELVE YEARS OLD! It seems like just yesterday that we welcomed him into our family of three! We were living in Jordan back then, so Seth was our "Arab" baby, although he didn't look very Arab!

Seth was supposed to have his first birthday in Sudan. But because of 9/11 our plans were postponed and he had his first birthday in Jordan. Not long after that we moved to Sudan.

Just before Seth turned two we went back to Jordan because the next month Seth became a big brother! So Seth celebrated his birthday with a Blues Clues party in Amman, Jordan.

After spending Christmas in Jordan, we went back to our home in Sudan. 

The following summer we returned to Texas for a year. Seth turned three there and had a Clifford the Big Red Dog cake. He did NOT want to open presents and I had to take him to the other room during his party and tell him, "You WILL open these gifts and you WILL be happy about it!"  He was so happy when his brother Joel had his birthday the next month and I found Seth saying, "I don't have to open gifts this time."  Haha! It is funny now but it wasn't then!

When Seth turned four in Sudan, he handed out Alphabet Cupcakes to all his classmates in pre-school.

Then there was Seth's 5 year Spiderman birthday party. The infamous spider pinata  was my very first pinata to make and I did not know you should NOT make it tough, but rather easy to break. The kids tried and tried to break it and finally Kris had to beat the spider to smithereens with a broom handle while the mothers looked on in horror! Funny memory!

In spite of the spider fiasco, I love the picture of the party-goers. Seth is American. Behind him are an Afghani, Sudanese, Indian, Italian and two Dutch boys! 

When Seth turned six he wanted a computer cake! So that's what he got! Those of you who know Seth know that a computer cake is very "Seth"!

The following year Seth had a Batman cake for his seven year birthday.

Seth's class at Nile Valley Academy sang happy birthday to him before he handed out cupcakes.

 Seth turned eight with a party for all his friends with cake and games. Later that year we went to Switzerland. Here is Seth freezing in Wilderswill!

And speaking of freezing, we spent seven months in the States that year and Seth got to enjoy snow! He had a small family party in Texas when he turned nine.

By the time Seth turned 10, our family had moved to Bandung, Indonesia. He had a party for all his friends. But later in the summer  he had a special "Ten Year Old Camp Out" with friends from Sudan and he received his 10 Year Old Sword from Kris.

On the day Seth turned 10, he got his glasses! Also a trip to Dairy Queen. Yum!

And the very next year, when Seth turned 11, we had moved again. Seth loved the show "Wipeout" so that was his cake that year.

This year we are in Bali for Seth's birthday.

Happy 12th Birthday to Seth! He is such a blessing to our family!

Bummer or Blessing?

Your birthday plans are cancelled: the party, friends and cake.

Instead, family crisis came with relationships at stake.

Are you bummed?

But because it IS your big day, many friends will know,

So many folk will pray for you no matter where you go.

You are blessed!

You are confronted with a job and the order is really tall

Because it lies outside your gifts, you don’t feel adequate at all.

Are you bummed?

But here’s a chance to learn to walk more closely with the Lord,

Trusting Him to enable you as He promised in His Word.

You are blessed!

Life is not playing out the way that you were told.

In spite of careful foresight, it spins out of control!

Are you bummed?

But this is really just a setting, a background to display

That God’s control is truly real no matter what they say!

You are blessed!

What seems to be a bummer, in God’s topsy-turvy economy,

Is just a blessing misperceived, if we’ll take the time to see. 

Visiting Our Son

Last month we got to visit our son at boarding school. WOOHOO! That made this momma's heart very happy!  He had a lot of homework but I didn't mind. I just sat beside him and watched him!  I also learned very quickly that school nowadays is VERY different than school thenadays...that is, school "back in the day"...that is, school back when one just had a textbook and a notebook and a pencil.  Our son was whizzing around on his ipad emailing his homework in and accessing virtual flashcards and who knows what else. It was crazy and I was loving every minute of it because we were together again, even if I didn't understand half of what was going on during homework time!

It was also fantastic to see the brothers all back together again. I think they really enjoyed it too.

We enjoyed dinner at Chilis...Y...U...M! I promise we let our son choose where to go eat. I promise I had nothing to do with it. Of course, I didn't argue with his choice...I'm just a giver that way! 

The family together again after a month a part. The weekend went by fast, but it sure was fun. And the best part was...only another month until we would get to see him again. And the best part about THAT is that, since it took me three weeks to post this...it's only a week until we are together again!

Round Two

I found more pictures from our adventures in Africa/Middle East. I couldn't resist posting another trip down memory lane...

Boat ride on the White Nile...Kris is the one with the picture on his T-shirt.

Making Jabana (or boon...Beja coffee...double yum!) Here he is pounding the coffee beans.

But before that he roasts the beans over the fire.

Piled in the car to go on a picnic. Can you tell which one is Aaron? :)

Seth is checking out the White Nile with a family friend.

One of Aaron's first friends in the desert: a little Libyan boy next door. They couldn't communicate with words, but they had no problem playing together anyway!

Meeting a nice couple from Saudi Arabia. That's newborn Joel in the blanket I am holding.

Downtown Khartoum.

Riding a bike in a jallabeeya. Talent at it's best!

Pushing a broken down truck off the road. Yes, that's a road!

Woah! Wait, this lady is walking in front of her husband! Women's Lib!

The Mogran. Where the Blue Nile meets the White Nile. See the two colors of water?

Common desert scene.

I love that there is a truck parked outside!

But why ride a truck when you can ride a donkey cart! Yee haw! You think maybe these 2 donkey carts are playing chicken? Wonder who won.

I bet you know what this says!

Airport Road "back in the day"

I'm on the left. Wow, can you say "slicked back hair"? That pony tail is tight!

Double yum (except for the green slosh on the right, I don't do slimy very well).

Hee hee! That's Seth when he was a little tyke! This is our weekly visit to some good friends across town in the desert.

Attempting to pose for the camera with our little friend "Apple"

Memory Lane

While doing a little research for a writing project, I found some OLD pictures and I just had to share! But I don't have the energy to figure out how to put these silly things in order without it taking all night, so they are gonna be on here just exactly the way that they appear when I upload them. Hold on tight b/c it's gonna be a bumpy ride...Come walk with me down Memory Lane...

Camping by the Nile. Doesn't get any better than that!

Except for maybe SWIMMING in the Nile! Here is Little Seth!

Joel and I are sunbathing on the beach :)

Henna! I miss this!

Joel, hanging out on his blanket from Lola.

November 10, 2002 Here is where Joel joined our family! The Arab Heart Center in Amman, Jordan. Yea, I know, I know, it's anyone's guess why he was born in a heart center.

But the Arab Heart Center had an awesome private room with a private guest seating area attached, so I wasn't complaining at all! The cake is a gift from the hospital and the candies were treats for our guests.

Going back about a year, here is Chubby Seth posing while Aaron shoots hoops in the background! This is our house in our desert home, back in 2001/2002

And then fast forward back to Joel's birth. This is probably my very favorite picture of Seth, doesn't he look innocent!? Is he plotting to whack Joel over the head while no one is looking?

Well, I had so much fun looking through all these old pictures that I might just make you look at more in a future post. But for now, thanks for taking a walk with me!