sweet bananas from the holcomb's

Happy 2nd Birthday, Benjamin!

2009-05-04T10:11:00.003+03:00

Here's the happy kid eating his Birthday cinnamon roll!

Since I was able to go to Scotland, I visited a Disney store and picked up a few novelty items from the movie "Cars!" Ben LOVES that movie and was so excited to see the "Car" things. Here he is talking on his "Car" cell phone.
Also, I find it interesting that the BIG sisters were dying to play with their 2 year old brothers new toys!

Look at all the new Hot Wheels!

Ben getting a Birthday ride around the garden with Mr.Daniel!

My feeble attempt at Lightening McQueen... it would be pretty accurate if it didn't look like it just smashed into a wall! Hee hee! Ben loved it though and knew RIGHT AWAY what it was! "Mom - wook! Caw!"

His words, not mine.

Goofy Benjamin with his FAVORITE meal of hotdogs and homemade fries.

Ben's favorite friend, four year old Franky.

The sugar is hitting the system... with an entire bottle of RED food coloring... It was pink until I used the WHOLE bottle~ ASK JEFF!

Happy Birthday, you sweet boy! :)

Back to Blogging!

2009-04-14T14:00:00.001+03:00

Blogging has definitely taken a backseat over the last few months... I apologize to those of you who faithfully visit this site to check up on your grandchildren, or children, or friends... Please don't take it personally.

There are just times when it is a little more conducive to blog and times when it isn't. And inspiration is definitely an important ingredient. Unfortunately, I can't really blame the lapse on lack of inspiration. The truth is my children do multiple things in any one day that seem very blog worthy. It has been more a lack of time and cooperative technology that has kept me from putting in the extra effort to keep you all in the loop.

Today I have a little extra time, because it is a Monday afternoon, where Jeff is in Arusha with school responsibilities, Benjamin is napping, the girls are running around like fairies in the garden, and I am left to myself. I know, I know, WHY AM I SPENDING THIS TIME BLOGGING?!? Because I CAN!!! :) All the pieces are here... technology is working, I have the time, and I am very inspired.... sooo here goes...

Pasaka Njema!!!!

2009-04-14T13:43:00.004+03:00

Pasaka Njema = Happy Easter!

Each year, the girls and I have made an Easter garden on Good Friday.

It includes the Garden of Gethsemane, the crosses, the tomb. This year on Wednesday of this special Holy week the girls came running inside to tell me they had a surprise. When they took me outside, this is what I saw. They were so excited and I was too as I sensed the girls excitement of celebrating what Jesus has done for us.

The little guy at the cross at the top is a people bead that they said was Jesus.

This is not the most aesthetically pleasing Easter Garden, but to me, it is the most precious one we've made yet!

The whole fam in our... we are growing out of our clothes and shoes in Africa wardrobes... hee hee!

WOW! Such a surprise!

Anna clutching her new "favoritest" treasure - a Bible from Gramma and PopPop Holcomb!

She keeps rereading Matthew 28:5-8 out loud and saying it is her favorite part of the Bible.

This is a special Easter for Sarah as it is the first one since she became God's child. The whole picture of what Jesus did for her is more clear than ever and she helped to explain it to Ben.

Ben says a HUGE thank you to his cousins, Ashton and Aidan, for properly outfitting him for such an important occasion!

Rain, Rain, Come To STAY!

2009-04-14T13:03:00.005+03:00

This Father and Son duo were THRILLED to welcome the rain when it started a little over a week ago. It only took a matter of moments to get drenched to the skin in this downpour.

It will never cease to amaze and delight me when the rains come... even though it creates massive amounts of mud, mess, and muckiness, the lit faces of EVERYONE you see in Tanzania testifies to the JOY that comes with the rain.

Nevermind that most Tanzanians walk to school, work, market on the roads of muck. Nevermind, that with the rain comes cool nights and the onset of sickness for many.

Rain means that the corn can grow- which is LIFE to so many.

It also means access to water for living and perhaps continued electricity supply if there is enough!

May I never complain because of the "inconvenience" of rain.

Time for a new carseat???

2009-04-14T12:54:00.002+03:00

JUST KIDDING! Sarah doesn't use this carseat, Ben does!

It doesn't seem like it was so long ago that she did use this...

I can't believe how fast time flies, and how slender and tall my sweet "chunky monkey"
baby has become!

She did actually fall asleep here one lazy Saturday afternoon.

What?!?! NOT SARAH!!!!

2009-02-09T16:30:00.005+03:00

See all those pearly whites?!?

Now look at all those pearly whites - minus one!

Congratulations Sarah Rebekah!!!

Just Being A Boy!

2009-01-17T13:47:00.004+03:00

Two separate days.

Two different types of dirt.

One happy boy.

Posing in Pangani

2009-01-12T12:48:00.003+03:00

Playing In Pangani

2009-01-11T12:15:00.006+03:00

Ben "WOW"-ing each wave that crashed in.
Look at all that ocean!

Beach babes.

Ben, Jeff and Anna, and a dhow in the distance.

Anna SWIMMING in the ocean.

Ben zig-zagging across the sand.

Sand play right outside the banda in the shade.

Jenn with the butterfly kite.

Sweet Ben.

Silly Ben. And Silly Mommy.

Delicious food and delicious company.

Piece of Paradise

2009-01-11T11:59:00.003+03:00

The sunrise from the window of our banda on the Indian Ocean.
The view from our banda.

A fisherman pushing off against the current.

Views from our banda

The banda that we shared with another family, who happen to be our best buds in Tanzania!

Part of the coastline, in front of a local village.

Our beach.

Does anyone see a single umbrella or PERSON for that matter?

So beautiful.

We are so thankful.

And overwhelmed.

The Journey to Pangani

2009-01-11T11:41:00.005+03:00

Our journey began at 4 am on Tuesday morning. The kids were a bit too excited to keep sleeping, but we set them up with pillows and blankets anyhow.

If that is not a "deer in the headlights" look, I am not sure what is!

Grabbing a picture at our "rest" stop. This is our friend "Franky" who has recently joined the family of our best friends here in Moshi.

This is the ferry that we used to cross the Pangani River.

It was risky, but we all made it.

We are "floating" across the Pangani River - looking out at the mouth of the river meeting the Indian Ocean.

A picture of the ruins of a house that some of the first slave traders in this area built in the late 1800's.

Three exhausted, sun bleached kids returning from a week at the beach.

Note: this picture was taken approximately 10 minutes after we left the beach.

Boy Meets Africa

2009-01-11T11:24:00.003+03:00

This is Benjamin exploring during a bathroom break at the foot of the Usambara Mountains.

The WORLD became our rest area.

Benjamin taking in the deep blue sea and contemplating life.

Benjamin debating whether or not he could TAKE ON the deep blue sea
and still live to tell about it.

Snapshots of Christmas!

2009-01-05T10:59:00.005+03:00

Christmas Cookie decorating with our best buddies in Moshi on Christmas Eve!

The stockings hung and stuffed with goodies from friends at home! THANK YOU!

Our two sweet little elves on Christmas morning.

Ben with some sweet stacking blocks and a new tractor from Gramma and PopPop Holcomb.

This year he loved the presents!

Swimming in the school pool on Christmas afternoon with our best buddies again.

Anna putting on her "dress-up" from Daddy after swimming. They were inseparable that day - Anna and her dress - up that is...

The happy Grinch picture (taken by Sarah)

Ben and I outside cruising around the garden on Christmas Eve.

I Just Want To Be A Sheep.... BAA! BAA!!!!

2008-12-19T14:36:00.003+03:00

These are a little blurry, but these pictures contain Annalise, Sarah and various classmates in their Christmas Program. They reenacted the Christmas Story. Anna and Sarah were sheep. Sarah was desperately shy and did NOT want to go up there. Mostly she just didn't want to be a sheep. But she survived - and honestly was one of the cutest little sheep you have ever seen! Anna on the other hand was MORE than happy to be up there - and she looked like a sheep that could have used a dose of Ridalin... she was SUPER excited and bouncy. :)

December Bride

2008-12-19T14:26:00.003+03:00

This creative girl has gone from designing and building paper airplanes and boats to designing wedding dresses. She asked if she could use some white fabric that I had to make a dress. Out came the scissors and the Swingline (stapler, of course) and she cut, cut, cut. It was similar to the part in The Grinch where he cuts out a rough shape of a santa suit. Then she cut out sleeves, puffed ones, which she then attached with the stapler. She squeezed herself into the dress and we finished it off with a few more staples.

When she was finished she worked on the veil, which is a combination of white cotton fabric, Swingline staples, and scrap paper.

Orders can be placed on our blog site for other clothing items as well.

Simple and sweet.

Green Eggs and Ham

2008-12-19T14:11:00.002+03:00

I just want to take a moment to thank Dr.Seuss for being the ONE who wrote the book that my daughter would first read in its entirety. Thank you for being the rhyme King and making a fun and nonsensical story for my daughter to enjoy and build confidence in reading.

Sarah, well done reading this WHOLE book in ONE sitting and not even taking a break! You are amazing me EVERYDAY with how much you are learning and growing... feel free to slow down!!!

St. Lucia Day

2008-12-18T14:51:00.002+03:00

This year we began a new celebration in our house. It is St.Lucia Day from Sweden. We adapted this holiday from the same book "Celebrating the Christian Year" by Martha Zimmerman. The oldest daughter is supposed to rise early, dress like St. Lucia (which means "Queen of Light") and serve the family breakfast in bed with a candle crown.

While Anna didn't have an actual candle in her crown, she DID make a crown and delivered breakfast in bed with a candle on the tray.

Then she told each family member the story of St.Lucia.

"There was once a girl. Her name was Lucia. Back in those days there wasn't allowed to be any Christians, but Lucia's mom taught her what it meant to be a Christian and to love God. When it was time for Lucia to get married, she wanted to give her dowry to the poor instead of to her husband. So she asked her mom and she said it was okay. When her husband heard about this, he told the governor, and the governor decided to have her killed on December 13th. Her name means Queen of Light. Lucia was a good example of loving God with all that she had. "
Anna kept the secret about celebrating this holiday all week before December 13th. Each day she listened to me read the story and then she secretly worked on her crown. Toward the end of the week she practiced retelling the story from memory so that she could tell it to Jeff and Sarah on Saturday morning.
She was SOOOO excited to do this and put on my white robe, her crown, and prepared a breakfast of fresh buns, fruit, and apple juice to deliver to each family member. She then told the story as I have transcribed it above. She definitely surprised Jeff, Sarah and Ben with this treat. It will probably be the first of many times that we remember this precious girl and how much she loved her Lord.

Father and Son Fun!

2008-12-14T21:09:00.004+03:00

I know this may seem odd and out of sequence to be posting pics of Ben in little swimmies. However, things are heating up around these parts, and so just to give you a little taste of what it is like for us as we gear up for our fourth Christmas as a family in Tanzania...

Peek - a - BOO!

Can you BELIEVE how TALL I am?!?

The fun is just getting started...Let the games begin!
These are the funny faces I make when daddy is pouring cold water over my head!!!

Happy St.Nicholas Day! (December 6th)

2008-12-11T14:58:00.004+03:00

For the last several years we have celebrated St.Nicholas Day at our house. We tell the story of a man, Nicholas, who was born in A.D.280 in Myra. (modern day Turkey) He was born to wealthy Christian parents who died when he was 9. He then grew up in the home of his uncle who was also a Christian.

As an adult, one of his friends (a rich shipping merchant) lost all of his ships and cargo in a violent seastorm. He had three daughters that were approaching marrying age - and would need to provide a dowry for them. Nicholas wanted to help his friend, but knew that his friend would not want to receive "charity."

One night, Nicholas dropped a bag of gold coins through the open window of one of the daughter's rooms. Some fell into a stocking that was drying, some on the floor, and some in shoes. Then he quickly and quietly returned to his home.

He enjoyed the experience so much that for the rest of his life he sought out ways he could show Jesus' love by helping the poor. He provided some jobs, clothing, food, and wooden toys for the poor. The only thing he required is that his identity be kept a secret. He died around A.D.343 on December 6th.

(Story paraphrased and adapted from our book: "Celebrating the Christian Year" by Martha Zimmerman)

Some of our celebrations of the day include:

Making gingerbread men for our friends and other children who live near us.

Jeff and the girls have snuck around our neighborhood for the last three years secretly delivering little bags of gingerbread men that they have made. It has caused quite a ruckus in the community - and the girls LOVE it.

On Saturday the stockings were full of little treasures...

Some Tanzanian shillings - to remember the gold coins St.Nicholas dropped in the window.

Some new pajamas to remember the clothes he gave to the poor...

And a BIG wooden toy for the whole family to enjoy!

This is a set of wooden blocks and wooden ramps to be constructed into a downhill path for a marble or rubber ball.

Or to stack as HIGH as you can!

Happy St.Nicholas Day!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!!!

2008-12-11T11:05:00.004+03:00

Tree mission: ACCOMPLISHED!

Benjamin enjoying the first Christmas tree he can remember.

Anna, the anticipator, showing off her hard labor of spreading each of the fake branches out on our tree.

Jeff stringing the lights in his "Grinch" t-shirt from Joy Osborne, but with the most UNLIKE Grinch face you have ever seen.... Doesn't he have such a great smile?!?Sarah putting the Nativity puzzle together from Gramma and PopPop Holcomb
- but WHERE is BABY JESUS?!?
He will be found!

Have I mentioned how out-of-control excited Anna was about decorating for Christmas?!? This is her celebratory Egyptian dance... one of the many routines we saw in this two hour event!

Carefully putting on Precious Moments ornaments from Gramma and PopPop Osborne.

The girls were in awe and adoration of the beautiful little ornaments that "belong to ME?!?" said with incredulous voices.

Yes, even Jeff and I have Precious Moments ornaments.
But he lets me put them on.

Mmmmmm....Tastes Like..... BLACK!

2008-12-11T11:00:00.003+03:00

WHERE is this child's MOTHER?!?

For The Sake of Argument...

2008-12-02T08:27:00.002+03:00

This morning, as Sarah was getting ready to head out the door, I noticed that Sarah's backpack was quite full. Then I remembered that since she stayed home to rest yesterday it was still full of her "Monday stuff" (ie. swimming stuff, library books, etc...). So, as I started to take things out Sarah pleaded with me to just leave those things in her bag because she wanted to get stronger. Then I asked her who usually bikes her backpack to school. "Daddy." she replied. I continued to take things out, but she was clearly unhappy. When I finished I said, "Here you go! Much lighter!" She looked at the ground and mumbled,"But I wanted it darker."

Material Girls

2008-12-01T11:51:00.006+03:00

Anna and Sarah just completed a unit on Materials. They worked with, learned about, and created all kinds of things out of various materials.

Here are Anna and Sarah trying to weigh the VERY heavy plasticene (or clay) models they made. It took a LOT of wooden counters to get them off the ground.

Sarah has just completed a circuit and her little light bulb was shining - but not as much as she was when it finally worked!

Anna, and her friend Marie, made a model of a person out of fabric:

Sarah, and her friend Malaika, made a model person out of rubber materials:

A close-up of little rubber man:

Here is the man made out of metal materials:

Anna and Sarah put on a class performance where they shared a song and play about their unit.

Anna is dressed up as "Paper Man". She bravely stood tall in front of all the elementary students, teachers and parents, and spoke loudly and clearly:

"I am a light and flat Paper Man.

Pens and pencils write on me.

I have tissues for my hair,

And I'll pack your groceries."

Well done, girls!

Lord Of Catan

2008-12-01T11:45:00.002+03:00

The official title given to the one who conquers this game board in any given evening. This was a special version of Settlers of Catan and has become entertainment on Friday or Saturday evenings in our house with friends. Jeff clobbered us and enjoyed every second of it.

As you can see!

He would be a kind and compassionate leader if he ever did rule a little place like this.

I'm glad.

Uh Oh! Spaghetti - O!

2008-12-01T11:38:00.002+03:00

This is what happens when you are so busy eating your own food that you aren't paying attention to the quiet little boy in the chair next to you.

Yummy!

2008-12-01T11:32:00.003+03:00

Here we are getting ready to eat our fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes (white), squash, green beans and cranberry sauce (paid $5 for the imported can). Delicious! We also had a newly married American couple, who are volunteering in Moshi, come to join us.

The girls have an American student teacher in their classroom who helped them make construction paper turkeys which you can see on their plates.

That was a fun and yummy day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T14:06:00.002+03:00

We are thankful for many things this year:

our fun family,

our dear family and friends in the U.S.,

the warm weather here,

fried chicken (which we are eating in lieu of turkey),

and God's continued care, provision and direction for our family.

We are very blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

up, Up, UP, and AWAY!!!!

2008-11-23T14:59:00.002+03:00

This is one of Anna's most recent (but not the latest) creations.

She was VERY into making paper airplanes earlier this week. So after two days of tripping over lots of smaller paper aircrafts, she brilliantly created a giant version of her dream airplane.

To be honest, it has had trouble in its flight tests, but the design is truly remarkable.

She is so proud.
And so are we.

Here is another important piece of information that is indirectly linked to this picture.

We have decided to not sign another two year contract with International School Moshi.

So, when we get on the plane at Kilimanjaro International Airport in June, we will be saying goodbye to Tanzania.

We aren't sure where we will be next but we look forward to whatever it might be.

We would appreciate your prayers for us as we look ahead. :)

Tagged.

2008-11-19T11:46:00.002+03:00

Here it is. Meredith tagged me and here is the fourth picture in the fourth album on our computer. This is Ben last November and he is trying to look like his daddy here with a rather orange goatee.

I would like to tag Kiley, Liana, Bec, Sarah T, Sarah L, Johanna, and Susanna. Have fun!

Here's Looking At You!

2008-11-19T11:39:00.001+03:00

Here it is!

The very first picture taken of Ben where he is looking directly at the camera and smiling.

What a cutie.

Not sure about the open collar look, but definitely a cutie.

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

2008-11-19T08:45:00.005+03:00

We have a lot to blog these days, but our internet connection has not been reliable enough to upload pictures for the last week and a half. But, JEFF'S BIRTHDAY was just here, and we must TRY to get on a couple of pictures, so hopefully it will work. But if not, then just imagine a handsome 31 year old man, with the excitement of a ten year old boy, in Africa, and you will be close to accurate.

Jeff received a package from his mom and dad in time for the big day!

Cinnamon rolls ready and waiting, prepared by Sarah and Jenn.
A great way to start off a Birthday morning, especially when it is followed by a workday.

Cake and candles.

Jeff was glad that we only had 19 candles. :)
The girls were a bit distraught that we didn't have nice wrapping paper this year. But we did have some nice brown paper that we wrapped gifts in.

We sang the song from the Sound of Music:

"Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, snowflakes that stay on your nose and eyelashes, BROWN PAPER PACKAGES TIED UP WITH STRING, these are a few of my favorite things!!"

They went from disappointed to excited in less than 30 seconds!

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

We love you!

Insight from Annalise

2008-11-07T23:53:00.002+03:00

Jeff and Anna were walking hand in hand down the sidewalk to the car after school this afternoon. A boy in her class, Cosi, ran past at a very high speed. She was recounting a story to Jeff about Cosi and another boy. This triggered her observation:

"Boys are like dogs. Even though they are best friends they play fight each other."

How true it is. :)

Rainy Day

2008-11-07T12:28:00.004+03:00

We are at the beginning of the short rains that come this time each year. September and October became progressively warmer and drier. The dust is inches thick on the roads, and splashes up around your shoes or tires like puddles of water would.

Needless to say, we welcome the rain!

Here is Ben pondering how he can possibly play with his favorite John Deere Tractor in these elements.... hmmm.....

Wow! This is wet! And cold!

Look at this wet stuff, mom!

Nevermind my mud mustache!

Boy meets world.

Enough of this...let's get dry!

Let's Go Exploring!

2008-10-28T11:54:00.010+03:00

This last Saturday our family was itching to do something different, somewhere new. So, we went exploring and followed some general directions from friends and found this lovely little picnic spot. We drove up, up, up the side of Kilimanjaro and then down, down, down and found a ravine with lots of large rocks and a COLD mountain stream.

Anna was in her element as a budding explorer, whereas Sarah was a bit less enthusiastic.

The Papa of the family doing his own boulder jumping - and letting me take the camera for a moment. :)

Ben was enjoying every aspect of this experience!

His favorite activity was picking up rock after rock and throwing them into the water. It never got old, and he was a machine... rock, after rock, after rock, after rock... without ever looking up.

Anna fearlessly jumped from boulder to boulder and could have summitted Kilimanjaro this way if we had let her. Her mantra as she was doing this was, "I can FLY! I can FLY! I can FLY! I can... FLOP!" from a favorite book of hers.

Thankfully, she never did flop.

Benjamin beating the ground with his new found "stick weapon".

This was his second favorite activity of the day.

Taking a break for some chakula (food).

What a place.

Take My Breath Away...

2008-10-22T14:10:00.002+03:00

A hot Moshi day,

A sweaty 18 month old boy,

An ice cold sprinkler...

taking his breath away.

She Just Keeps Growing Up!

2008-10-18T12:39:00.002+03:00

A last picture of Annalise with all of her upper baby teeth intact...

The loose tooth trick that is unique to six year olds everywhere...

Annalise one step further to adultsville...

Fun In The Sun

2008-10-14T21:02:00.002+03:00

This is our fun in the sun family day during October break. The school pool was being painted over the holiday, so we decided to visit the pool at a local hotel. What a fun day!

Can't really tell you what Anna is signing in the above picture. Recently, whenever we take her picture she has been making different odd symbols with her hands, like she's a gangster. I don't really think she means "peace" or anything like that... maybe she means "be quiet", or maybe "bunny ears on an invisible bunny"?!?

I'll have to ask her later about this particular one... she's sleeping now.

Ben enjoyed the water, but the sun was so intense and bright that we kept his red shirt on to spare his skin, and the rest of us from blindness at the glare off his very white belly.

We are ready for the the 2012 Summer Olympics...

Sarah was taking a turn at using the baby sea turtle floatie.

Ben was using the "mommy floatie."

One of Anna's more graceful jumps off of Daddy's shoulders.

And please don't worry, the edge of the pool appears closer than it actually is...

Accolades for Annalise

2008-10-11T10:23:00.007+03:00

At the end of the first term, Anna was able to give Jeff and I a tour around her classroom where we saw all of the projects she has been working on over the last eight weeks.

The class has been reading "Flat Stanley" as a read-aloud book, and this is her depiction of what Flat Stanley looks like:

Anna received an "Eddy Elephant" award this term as well. Anna's writing attempts have come a long way in the last several weeks. She has always enjoyed writing, but she has been especially focused on improving her skills this term.

"This is a picture from my computer in class. I made a picture. We were making rhymes about them. I forgot my rhyme. "

"This is a picture of my house and it has words on it that you can read them. "

"This is a house I made out of straws. It was for the three little pig stories. We were learning about houses. What kind of material it is made out of and what it has in it. "

"This is about when I was making a houseboat. But it isn't finished yet. But these are the plans and the idea of the house. You will see at the pictures what it will look like when I am done."

A few skills not pictured here that Anna has mastered in the last few weeks have been greetings, colors, and counting to 20 in French. She also participated in swimming club and gymnastics club. Her teacher is Miss Narelle from Australia, who used to be a gymnastics trainer.

Two Peas In A Pod

2008-10-11T10:02:00.003+03:00

This is Sarah and her best friend Charlotte. Charlotte is French and British. She and Sarah have been best little friends since they were two. Now they are five. Charlotte is moving to the UK in December. We are capturing as many moments as we can of these two little girls doing what they do best.... being silly!!! :)

Happy Anniversary!!!!

2008-10-11T09:49:00.002+03:00

This may seem odd to those of you that know that Jeff and I celebrate our wedding anniversary in May. But our children wanted to throw us a surprise celebration last Saturday. While we were sleeping and they were awake, they took it upon themselves to create multiple signs and arrows showing us the way to our anniversary breakfast.

Notice their recent style of dressing themselves... "Mom, did you know it is cool to wear a shirt under your dress?" No, I didn't know that.

And here is our breakfast feast of wooden pizza and cake with a wooden fruit salad. The table is neatly set and we ate this specially prepared food reminiscing over our eight and 1/3 years of marriage. Thanks Annalise and Sarah! We love you too!

Know When To Hold 'Em, Know When to Fold 'Em

2008-10-10T20:34:00.005+03:00

One quiet morning, while the girls were in school, Ben and I were spending some precious time on the front porch. Between his one and two word phrases, and grunts, groans and pointing... we were able to figure out the activity that he was begging to play.

We found the dice he was pointing to, and then mimicked an activity I have done with the girls for fun. We roll the dice, and then add the dots on each die to get the sum. We usually have pencil and paper on hand to tally the results. So, Ben pointed to and acquired the dice, paper and crayons. We were set.

Ben's "way" is to manipulate the dice when they don't roll the way he likes...

...and to give a hearty cheer and clap when he gets just what he was hoping for!

We must not forget the writing of our new addition sentences.

And, of course, we only end the activity with a result we are proud of!

Update without pictures

2008-10-09T22:54:00.003+03:00

How is that for a generic title?!? Sorry! I hope to post soon with more pictures and family happenings. For the moment I think it is necessary to update all of you since my last post. Things have been a little tricky... continued bouts of sickness and experimenting with various antibiotics. At the moment we are mostly cleared up. Anna and Sarah still have clinging coughs, and I am still recovering from my own bout of strep throat that caused my throat to almost swell closed, but we are definitely on the mend. Jeff and Ben have managed to escape it all! Well done, my hearty boys!
It is our October break so we have been able to enjoy being together alot more over this last week. Jeff played rugby at a tournament last Saturday, and lived to tell about it. :) While there I discovered lice, yet again, in Anna's hair and then in Ben's! My little 18 month old son had lice. Yikes. Everyone is cleared up once again... WHERE IS THIS COMING FROM!?!? So thankful that Sarah has not had it yet.... those beautiful long strands would be a nightmare to comb nits out of. On a positive note, lice loves clean hair and heads, so I guess we are just too clean. Hmmm.... :)

Grace.

2008-09-23T14:49:00.002+03:00

At first glance this looks like a picture of my three sweet children. Even at second glance it does. But there is more than meets the eye here. First of all, you will notice that the entire picture is a bit blurry and washed out. Why? Because it was taken in blackness. As I attempted to make breakfast for the family - which is usually toast - the electricity was shut off. And it remained off from about 7:30 am until 12:30 pm on this particular day.

Typically, no electricity means a bit of an adjustment in daily tasks and plans. Today it was the icing on the cake.

You will notice that my children are sitting on a bed sheet on the couch. Why? Because of my poor decorating skills? Not this time. :) Because sweet Annalise has contracted headlice at school and we just discovered it last night. Sarah has not. Yet. So of course, last night I immediately planned that the next day would be full of doing large amounts of laundry in hot water to rid our home of these little pests that have made their home my daughter's head.

Another small detail that further brings clarity to this fuzzy picture is that my girls both have full blown strep throat infections. And Ben is right on their heels.

Even that has been taken into stride, but the straw that almost broke this camel's back is when we went into town to the one sanitary clinic available to us and were at the mercy of the doctor who gave a prescription for tonsillitis but not strep throat. Then a prescription that we discovered Sarah is allergic to and a separate one for Anna that hopefully she won't be allergic to.

When we returned home from visiting the clinic, gathering the medicines and special shampoo, we got everyone settled. The electricity came back on at 12:30 so I quickly started a load of laundry and within five minutes discovered we had no water.

This time though, there was a still small voice that reminded me... "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness..." Let me tell you, I have the weakness part. But I am so grateful that my Heavenly Father has the grace part. And that He shares.

"Catch A Tiger By It's Tail....!"

2008-09-16T08:29:00.003+03:00

Or a gecko. Not a Geico gecko. Just a regular little guy.

And I do mean little. He was just a baby.

Yes, WAS.

The fact is, that Sarah found this little guy on the floor and was suprised when it didn't run away from her. So then, she touched it, squealed and ran around the house basking in her bravery. As she should have. When we had all gathered at the spot where the "scared" gecko remained, it dawned on us that perhaps he was only with us in body, not in spirit.

Mommy, What Is My Baby Holding?

2008-09-15T20:46:00.002+03:00

Just the other day, Sarah went on the front screened in porch to play school with her dolls. She pulled out one of her favorite dolls from the basket and found a "creature" nestled in the palm of her baby's hand. It was a sticky, slimy slug. What are the chances it would find the palm of a doll's hand to curl up for its afternoon nap?

Gross.

Welcome to the family, LICORICE!

2008-09-12T19:34:00.004+03:00

Yes, this is Licorice. And we like him very much.

So does Ben.

This is Ben AFTER playing outside with Licorice...

I don't really remember Anna and Sarah ever looking like this.

Anna's Epiphany

2008-09-12T19:21:00.003+03:00

Every week we get a bag of vegetables that the nuns on the side of Mt.Kilimanjaro grow and sell. This week, among the carrots, we discovered this interesting specimen. I suppose it isn't too unusual, but struck as as quite funny! When Anna stopped giggling, she said, "What IS that green stuff ANYway?!?" Apparently she hadn't ever seen the carrot tops as they are usually snapped off by the time we get them... the fact that it was a bit "siamese" didn't strike her as out of the ordinary. I don't know which is more strange... :)

Welcome to the family, uhhh... what's your name?

2008-09-02T10:30:00.004+03:00

Here is the newest addition to our family! Isn't he cute???

We just haven't decided on a name yet.

Anna lamenting our dear former puppy, named Coulter, while warming up to her new puppy.

Ben and new friend.

Just to give a size comparison... Soon he will have a personal identity that we can call him by, and that he won't respond to, but until then he is just our new cute puppy, that we are cuddling with alot!

Weekend Fun

2008-09-02T10:21:00.004+03:00

Roasting marshmallows in our garden with a mini campfire built by the girls.

Benjamin after polishing off a chocolate chip cookie!

Benjamin napping as a 16month old after a full day at the ISM Family Picnic.

Anna's restaurant, "a la carte" or "a la wagon".

Eddy Elephant

2008-09-02T10:16:00.002+03:00

Each Friday Anna and Sarah start their school day with an assembly for all of Primary. Each time there are special awards given out to a few select students for various academic or behaviorial accomplishments throughout the week.

Last Friday Sarah received an Eddy Elephant award for her accomplishments in reading. We would like to share it with all of you. She would especially like to point out the shiny star on Eddy's head.

Well done, Sarah!

Anna's Book of Wonders

2008-08-23T17:16:00.006+03:00

This morning, Anna decided she wanted to create a book. She said she wanted it to be a Book of Wonders. When I asked her what she meant, she said, "I just want to draw all of the things that I wonder if they are real."

The following is the result:

"My Book of wonders is about what I dreamed and wished to be real:
I want that mermaid castle to be true. I wish I could be a mermaid someday.

I wish I could be her, swinging in the hammock in the desert. I wonder if it is real.

I wonder if Santa Claus would come to my house when I am awake. I wish that reindeer would be seen and Santa Claus.

There are different types of houses in the world that are real, that I like. (note the top of the picture) I am learning about this in school.

Garden Fun

2008-08-23T14:27:00.005+03:00

Ben, the avid bird watcher

Miniature marshmallow pit

Fresh air TASTES good!

One of four picnic spots chosen for afternoon play...

Nothing better than fresh lemons from your own lemon tree.

Have you ever tried grilling lemons?
Here's Anna's recipe for grilled lemons:

Pick ripe lemons

Get it opened

Squeeze the juice out

Cook it on a grill

Put honey on it

Cook it a little more

Put some salt on

That's it!

Yes, we tried it and it tastes just as good as it sounds.

Those beautiful garden fairies often arrive just in time to rescue Benjamin from peril...

But sometimes they don't quite make it in time. :(

Here is Benjamin on the lookout for garden fairies.

Yeah, that's not a fairy. Look a little farther.

But it is one of their prize ingredients for the soup they like to make...

Climbing Trees

2008-08-23T14:20:00.002+03:00

Our garden fairies can climb AND fly!
We found a garden fairy in our trees!

Here comes the little boy who likes to eat fairies!!!

(Insert girlish giggles and squeals as he gets closer...)

Crazy kids!!!!

2008-08-15T16:43:00.003+03:00

This is a bit more like "THREE peas in a pod!"

Silly girls tickling each other in the warm sunshine of a Moshi afternoon.

Benjamin swinging in the breeze with a "howdy" to all of you!

Ephesians 4:32

2008-08-15T16:39:00.002+03:00

Join us as Benjamin attempts to help us learn Ephesians 4:32:

"Be kind to one another. Tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you!"

The Many Faces of Benjamin...

2008-08-15T16:30:00.002+03:00

"What chu talkin' about Willis?"

Could somebody pass me the remote???

"Yo, Yo, Yo!"

First Day of School

2008-08-12T20:36:00.003+03:00

Anna and Sarah raring to go on their bike ride to school!
Annalise in the doorway of her new classroom.
Sarah (and Mommy and Ben) in her new classroom.
So, they took the plunge! The morning started with being woken from thick slumber in their comfy "bonk"beds. Anna bolted upright with,"Mommy, I JUST fell asleep, but I can wake up now. Is it really the first day of school? I was awake for a long time last night, but at least I got a little bit of sleep,etc....." And on she talked as she rubbed her eyes and climbed from the top bunk. Sarah was less talkative but equally excited as she let me cuddle her for about a minute before bounding to the breakfast table.

Bleary eyed Ben joined us for breakfast and worked hard to be grumpy, but still ended up in giggles as he usually does when we are together at the table. We went over our verse, prayed together then gathered up backpacks with water bottles and snacks, put Ben in a backpack too, snapped a few pictures and we were all off.... The whole family riding on a dirt road filled with potholes, in the cool Kilimanjaro morning air. Ben was in his glory, on my back, filling his cheeks with brisk air and saying "Go, go, go!"
I believe it was adrenaline that allowed the girls to reach the school in record time as it is uphill the entire ride! Anna was in her glory, and said "Goodbye Ben, Bye Mom, Bye Dad!" Quick hugs all around and she disappeared to meet up with her teacher, Miss Narelle. Only half a second of fingers in the mouth, when she caught herself and ran off with big smiles.

Sarah clung tightly to my hand as we toured her classroom, met her teacher, and greeted friends she knows. She asked if I could stay for a while. So, Ben and I helped her choose a puzzle to start with and about halfway through she planted a kiss on Ben's cheek and said goodbye to him. Then she gave me a nice hug and said, "I guess I'll see you in a little while!"

A few hours later I returned and an excited and chattering Sarah raced on her bicycle to beat me home so that she could tell me all the exciting things she did in her class that day. WHO CAN STAND SOOOO MUCH EXCITEMENT IN THEIR LIFE?!? These girls of ours.... :)

We biked, wait, no I biked up to the school with Ben on my back, Sarah and lunch in the bike trailer (thanks Aunt Joy Osborne!). Talk about an initiation into the world of exercise for mom!!! Anna was beside herself trying to discern which thrilling event she would tell me about first.
We enjoyed eating lunch together at the playground before Daddy went back to work and the children and I coasted all the way back home...
And so begins a new chapter in the life of the Holcomb family.

One of those days...

2008-08-04T16:11:00.001+03:00

Today was a rough day for Annalise. The rough patch started when dirt reentered a wound from yesterday. The wound was a scratch on her pinky, and it stung when the dirt came in from playing outside.
Next,we were visiting some friends and on our way home (on our bicycles) she was riding quite fast on our washboard dirt road, and wrecked completely. The heavy Dutch bike pinned her knee to the ground. She was very distraught as a passerby, who happened to be Tanzanian, picked her up and held her until I could reach her.
After some quality time with an ice pack at home, the throbbing subsided and the day continued. However, when she attempted to go outside again, the heavy sliding door lock disengaged from the door and landed on her bare toe. This resulted in a nice bruise on one toe and a slight cut on another toe. It began to bleed and a couple of minutes later the bleeding stopped, but Anna was even more hysterical. "Anna, what is the matter?!" Anna tearfully replied,"My toe has lost all of its blood, and I don't know what I am going to do!" After a brief biology lesson on how God made our bodies to help stop bleeding, she managed a feeble smile and the courage to put her shoes on and go outside....

Just to wrap up the day... tonight Anna, Sarah and Ben were engaged in their nightly dance and chase ritual around the house. After multiple ballerina twirls in a row Anna became very dizzy and face planted in our fireplace (without a fire). But this time all we heard were slap happy giggles coming from an ash smudged face!

Ben's First Haircut

2008-08-01T20:18:00.000+03:00

BEFORE
DURING
AFTER

Happy Birthday to Sarah!!!!

2008-08-01T20:06:00.000+03:00

So, how do you celebrate a special birthday on a cold, rainy day in Moshi? Sarah's plan was to have a family tennis date, go swimming and then have friends over for dinner. When the weather argued with us the next morning we had a backup plan... How about a cinnamon roll breakfast, open family presents and package from Gramma, Pop-Pop and Aunt Joy Holcomb, play inside with the presents, go out for lunch, play some more, have a dinner and movie night with friends? WOW! What a day we had! Sarah turned 5 for sure and informed us the next morning that it was STILL her birthday until her package from Gramma and PopPop Osborne arrives... therefore, depending on how efficient the Tanzanian postal service feels like being will determine the true length of Sarah's birthday. We'll keep you "posted" on that one!

In the meantime, Sarah is enjoying life as a five year old and is already looking forward to becoming 6...

Lovin' Life

2008-07-23T11:47:00.001+03:00

These sweet girls are very excited, because they will be attending International School Moshi in just a few short weeks. This is a very big decision for our family as we have always intended to homeschool, and have already begun our homeschooling experience. However, after much prayer and consideration for what might be best for our girls at this point in time, we have decided to enroll them at the International School. Please pray for us as this will be a big transition for all of us. We are excited about what God has in store for our family this year.

Hashing it out...

2008-07-23T11:37:00.000+03:00

What is a hash, you might ask??? It is when a group of people gather together and follow a previously plotted course up the hills, over the rivers, and through the bush on the side of Kilimanjaro... How do we follow it? Not with a GPS system, although that would be VERY fun out here. No, instead we follow little patches of white baking flour that the course setter leaves at various intervals. There is a hash twice a month on Sunday afternoons. It is quite fun and allows us to see parts of Tanzania that can only be seen by foot. Anna ran the whole trail (about 1.5 hours), Sarah petered out about 30 minutes into it, Jeff managed to carry Ben on his back the entire time and I walked it this time, but fun was had by all! And let it be noted that as soon as we set foot in our house, Anna immediately laid on her bed and went to sleep!

Yustino

2008-07-23T11:29:00.001+03:00

Here is Ben holding Yustino, or wait, scratch that, reverse it... Yustino works as a gardener for our friends. He and his wife Neema had a baby boy, Joshua, in January of 2007. At eight months he died of malaria at the local hospital. Neema is currently pregnant with their second baby, but she has been very sick throughout this pregnancy with bouts of malaria. We are praying for God's protection over this little one. Yustino eats up any time he can spend with Benjamin, and is always inquiring as to where he is if we visit without him. The smile you see is a perma grin. No joke!

Sarah's colorful world!

2008-07-23T11:10:00.000+03:00

What a fun girl. This little one spins giggles and sunshine wherever she goes and does as little work as possible with a smile. :) She has been trying her hand at photography as a 4, almost 5, year old. Not half bad, although 10+ pictures of the back of my head show more of her developing fine motor skills rather than her photography skills. She does show some promise though. I thought we'd include some recent pics that she has taken, as well as some of her and her lovely block creation that she labored over one morning this week.

Meet O'Reilly and Floyd

2008-07-12T14:58:00.000+03:00

We would like to introduce you to a few other members of our family.

Here is our fourth child, O'Reilly. Typically, I wouldn't refer to him as another child, but this puppy so desperately tries to be one of our children, that I think we will give him an honorary position for our blog's sake. It takes one sweeping wag of his tail to knock over Sarah, so imagine what he can do to "learning to walk" Ben! He was named after Bill O'Reilly - and we hope neither one is offended.

Sarah is patting her friend Floyd the tortoise. He is named after Floyd from "The Pond" children's radio show. Floyd is a very quiet, faithful and banana peel loving member of the family.

Blissful Beach Boy Ben

2008-07-10T13:12:00.001+03:00

Happy 6th Birthday Anna!

2008-07-10T12:48:00.000+03:00

Annalise Rose Holcomb turned 6 on July 5th, 2008! We were lucky enough to catch the fireworks on the peninsula, where the US Embassy is located, the evening before. The first thing Anna did on her birthday was have tea with her sister overlooking the sunrise on the Indian Ocean. She was SO excited for this treat and the day only got better! We were able to enjoy waterslides, swimming, and a few presents too! What a birthday, what a girl! :)

Adventures in Africa

2008-07-10T12:17:00.000+03:00

So, we attempt to get our son immunized and trek out on an eight hour road trip to Dar es Salaam, the capital of this country. Our departure time of 5 am was supposed to land us there about 1 pm. About 2/3 of the way there we completely fry our engine and spend the bulk of our day on the side of the road trying to figure a way to make it to our destination. Mostly because that was literally the next point of civilization that we could get help!

After praying together that God would send a truck that could tow our LandRover, we were all relieved that God did indeed provide just what we needed. And the dust patch we had called "home" for about six hours of the day has now become a happy memory for our family.

2008-06-30T19:54:00.000+03:00

Sweet bananas??

2008-06-30T12:55:00.000+03:00

Well, I thought "sweet bananas" would be a great generic phrase for this blog for a few reasons. The first reason is that our children are kind of short and curved and a bit yellow, like sweet bananas. (Well, maybe not yellow... or even curved... I guess just short.)And I hope to share tidbits about our children here on this blog.
The second reason is there are nifty little things that happen in any given week that are worth sharing, that might have the significance of one sweet banana in any given day. These often don't make it into my bi-monthly emails, and it will be nice to have an outlet for those tidbits.
The third reason is simple. Our family eats a LOT of sweet bananas. And that is that.