A is for...

A is for Annaka! and apple, and aligator.....

A letter a week. Well that is my ambition as of right now. Her four year old friend can read and write already and I think that has sparked something inside Annaka to want to as well. She picked up her friends paper and asked me what letters were on it then said "Lets write my name". I guess now is a better time than ever to begin with one letter. The letter 'A' seems like the best place to begin as it is not only the beginning of the alphabet but the beginning of her name. I was telling her "Up, down....then across" as I was holding her hand writing it over and over again. Then I told her to try it. She tried it several times then was done for the day. The next day when I gave her a piece of paper to write on she put her pencil down and looked at me with raised eyebrows. I told her "Up" and she did it. I helped her with the rest of the letter and asked her if she could make one herself. To that she confidently replied "No mommy, that 'A' needs hands and feet......(pause).....and a gog(dog) too." Then this is what she did to the 'A'. Pretty good. I give her an "A":) sorry...had to say it.


P.S. Annaka calls elevators 'alligators'. Maybe this is the week to let her know elevator does not start with the letter A:)

(the events of dec 11th)

Stories to catch up.....

What a sweet hearted little stubborn girl.....

Today was one of those days where I had to continue to 'remind' myself to have patience. Annaka 'suffers' from a strong case of the 'only child' syndrome. In simple words, she does NOT know how to play by herself. When forced to stay in her room and play with her toys for one hour today she whined, cried, and fussed with every excuse from pointing out a bird out her window, to hearing clifford bark at her from outside, to come sit by me on my bed and "mommy, where is my *insert toy name here*". It took everything in me to remember that it is kind of like letting them cry when in time out or whine while supposed to be going to sleep. The part of me that needed to get things done wanted to get upset at her and tell her to be quiet or shut the door so I could not hear her as loudly.....on the other hand....the mommy in me wanted to go sit by her and read the book/play with the toy/ etc. Instead I talked to her about the bird she saw out her window as I was in the other room doing dishes. Anyone have any advice about this???? How to I encourage her to play by herself without feeling like I am being a horrible mom?

Anyway, I saw the sweet heart of my little girl this evening. We had been out running errands and I had told her the whole time we could go to McDonalds for dinner. She was so good while we were out I was excited to get her some nuggets and have a fun dinner out with her. We got in line, ordered, they began bringing the food to the little tray beside the register, I gave them my debit card and was told they only take cash! I had only enough cash on me to get us a ride home. I saddly had to carry my two year old (who was in tears) out of the restaurant and tell her we cannot have that for dinner tonight. She settled down enough to run to our last two stops before heading home to peanut butter sandwiches. As we were eating Annaka looked at my plate and said in her sweetest excited voice "Good job Mommy! You ate your sandwich all gone! Im proud of you!" I was humbled at how quickly a two year old can forgive and get over something. I need to learn that lesson myself. When things dont go my way, I need to be more flexible and make the most of the new situation:) Thank you Lord for using my two year old to remind me.


Rocking Horse...
When trying to get a photo of Annaka and one of her new favorite things she would not quit squirming and making faces. In fact her favorite faces are either when she sticks out her tongue or making a fish face.

This is the face she makes when I aske her to stand by her horse and smile.....

Her new friends like the horse too! Three on at once!
*Note to self (and anyone who stumbles upon this blog post) I (Valerie) am definitely NOT the photographer of the family. I took about 12 pictures and this is the least blurry shot with everyone's head in the picture! If Clint were home at that moment, he would have taken it and it would have looked fabulous.

Bread,Fruit,Spices

The bread turned out great! I cut some too thin and it crumbled a little. Tasted great though. Will definitely make this recipe again!
I love shopping here. The fruit and veggies are so fresh and wonderful! Look at all I got today for under $5! Just over six lbs of potatos, just over four lbs of carrots and bananas, over two lbs of tomatoes. More and more and more. Annaka tried helping to carry it but would only make it a few feet and tell me it is heavy and give it back:) What help she is at the market!


And I thought I would miss the couponing fun from the states. Well, maybe I do a little, but haggling to get a deal in a market can be pretty fun rewarding as well. Clint tends to do better at this than I do, but today I felt was a success:)


Which brings me to my favorite part of our kitchen....our spice rack/shelf. Fruit/Veggies/Rice, Dahl, Nuts, Mmmmmm. Besides their yummy-ness I love the color it adds to our kitchen:)

Its About Time...

Its about time for an update huh? We have been off the radar so to speak for a little while. Partly because we are getting settled and partly because we did not have consistent internet. We have had fun exploring and finding things in our new city. Clint amazes me with how much of the language he remembers and Annaka charms everyone around her. She has her own paparazzi some days as people want her photo and to squeeze her cheeks! We love our new city and our apartment and have been meeting people who live around us.

Here is Annaka eating a sandwich in our new apartment....no furniture...no dining room table still even today so we eat on the floor... for now. She loves the apartment. Running from room to room she acts as if she owns the place.

(Note her crossed feet and the yellow wall in the background....thats my favorite part! )

We did arrive in the big holiday season here. Its like a month long constant celebration! First a local holiday that is celebrated in our state, then a major holiday that is nation wide! Then two days later is the local New Years Day. Every state here has a different 'local' new years. Its when they start their local calendars and businesses dedicate the financial books for the new year. Everyone takes anywhere from 5-15 days off from working. A week solid of 'crackers' as they call them (fireworks) being set off all night. There are no restrictions so it is more like little explosions outside our windows.

Here is the Rangoli (sand art) and lights from in front of a local doorway.

Annaka has done very well. The way she has chosen to deal with all the transition from moving ...KC, VA, PA, here....is that she does not want anything to do with the potty anymore. I figure that if that is the worst thing she does (i.e. rather than behavior tantrums or something worse) then we can deal with this. Once we are more settled and into a routine we will begin again. (for the 3rd time) The biggest thing she is having a hard time 'getting' is how the feet are regarded as something dirty. It is insulting to sit and face the bottom of your foot toward someone. It is very rude to touch someone or something with your foot. Annaka will sit down and rub her hand....or sandwich...across the bottom of her foot. She gets in trouble now for carrying her shoes around and putting them by her (or my) face.

One thing I was concerned about before we left was finding friends quickly for Annaka. Not that I thought there would be a problem finding little ones, I just wanted her to find one fast as we had been in limbo for three months. Since we have been here she has made friends and has so much fun! She gets so excited when they come to visit. Shows her toys and shouts "My Friends!" I love seeing her light up! I was talking to a new friend who has two kiddos the other day and as soon as Annaka heard me, she ran into their home to play with the kids with no regard to good ol mom left behind her. :)

Here is Annaka playing at a local playground. She makes friends wherever she goes!

I have had fun cooking and will post some recipes soon. Cooking some local food and some American food. Tonight I made Eggplant Parm from complete scratch. Made the breadcrumbs from a loaf of bread I made, wiped the feather off that was stuck onto the egg before cracking it:). I feel so domestic as I grind my own sugar etc. After three tries, I did finally succeeded in making bread. Well, at least it looks right. We will know for sure in the morning at breakfast if it tastes as good as it looks! It even has the muffin top like loafs you get at a store there in the states. Now on to tackle those cinnamon rolls I have flopped on twice! :)


Better cut out for now. More updates to come:)


P.S. I love the brooms here. The only problem is that they are very very short...If we could make the handles longer my back would be happy.




P.P.S. I will never complain about traffic again.....wanna come drive here?

McDonalds

Two fun facts about McDonalds in Asia.

1. They have happy meals in Asia!

Annaka was thrilled to get a cute little blue plastic headband with her nuggets and drink. Yep, you heard me right Happy meals come with zero french fries. Since that is mainly what Annaka eats when we go to McDonalds, Clint and I took over most of her nuggets and gave her several our fries.

She wore that headband until it was time to climb into bed!

2. They have a really cool disco room for birthday parties! We walked in the other day and saw about fifteen girls dancing in a room with glass walls. The lights were off and there were sparkles gliding over the walls and the girls from the hanging disco ball. Every once in a while the girls would run out into the middle of the restaurant and sing happy birthday to the birthday girl.

Annaka Nuggets

Burp...

Do you now the sound you can make when trying to sound like a frog. No, not the word Ribbit but when you suck air in and make a funny sound. One of Annaka's favorite things right now is to do that and then look around, giggle, and say "excuse me" with a big grin. She is pretending to burp. Newsflash little princess....girls are supposed to pretend to curtsy to twirl or diaper your baby doll....not burp!

Dogs...

Also, whenever she hears a dog barking she informs me that Clifford the big red dog is barking at her. We have had to have the conversation a few times already that we do not run up and try to pet every dog we meet on the street. In fact we really dont want to touch them at all. We should just wave.

Language...

We have been here a week today and Annaka (i think) has already picked up a word and used it correctly. Playing with play dough with Clint earlier today she looked at him and said "good good" but not in English! Somehow she has picked up studdering (the week before leaving) in English and is picking up language here. This will be quite an experience to see how her mind works now. (p.s. the sudden studdering thing sent me on a huge google-fest trying to see what is 'wrong' and what to do....found out it is normal around 2 or 2 1/2 and shouldnt last long....any advice? )

Sense of Humor...

She is developing a sense of humor all of her own. Making up stories, even using a different voice when telling me what someone (or something) says. She saw a squirrel hopping along and told me that he was looking for his mommy and was saying 'mommy, mommy, hold you me mommy' Yes the squirrel had his own voice.

Our sense of humor...

Sometimes it is just us that ends up rolling in laughter. I feel we laugh many times a day at what she says/does but this is t he only one that comes to mind as I am sitting to type this. She was supposed to be taking a nap the other day. I was laying by her in the bed and Clint walked in the room. I told her to tell Papa to come join the party. She then sat up, shouted with a smile "Papa, its party time!" I guess she figured I had to mean she did not have to take a nap if I mentioned a party!

Anyway, I had better go for now. Trying to log a few things in this blog so I remember them later. We are in a hotel room that literally has about three feet on three sides of the bed (which has luggage stacked in it) so there is no baby book or notebook at easy access to write these in!

Sorry, no pictures today:( Come again another day.

Getting old...

You know you are getting old....(will be 30 in a matter of months)... when you have to google every time you see several letters in a row that you dont know what they mean. Come on now people. Cant we use full words. Help us old people out. Am I really that out of touch already. In a way, I am kinda ashamed how often I find myself on google....then feeling really dumb once I find out what they mean. There are some I would rather not have looked up.

Anyway, here is a picture of the biggest lollipop ever....

...its from MeeMaw. Annaka loved it!

must. get. back. to. packing......its 2:34am and I have taken a 4 minute break. Back to work.

Guiness World Reccord For Making Cookies

I think we should win the world record for the longest time it takes to make a batch of cookies. Half a batch at that! I am used to doubling or trippling the recipe at Christmas time...this time it was cut in half so it should have been quick!

MeMaw gave Annaka a toy mixer. We have aquired many toys the past two months since being here in PA and can not take them all, so today we played with many of them. Papa came in and took some fun photos:)

Annaka had so much fun with her very own mixer!

First she helped me measure everything out, then she dumped everything into a large bowl for Mommy to mix. We both got our mixers (hers with water in it) and we mixed.

Had so much fun! She even tasted her 'mixture' in her bowl.

She even got to ice them herself!

Lastly, we went and 'delivered' them to everyone close by. She carried the plate and we delivered cookies....matching aprons, uneven icing (icing on the back of some cookies) and all.

What a fun day!

A run in the rain.

Today I went for a run in the rain.

It was good. Wonderful. Relaxing. So great that as soon as I came inside (soaked), sat down, I wanted to go outside again. It has been a long time since I have played in the rain. I guess today was my version of playing in the rain. I thought it would be a time for me to shut down my brain....news to me...time alone, with no cute little two year old at my ankles, is not when my brain decides to turn off. My brain turns off when I need to remember something or when I am trying to gather my purse or bag to go somewhere (especially the bank or post office...I go, then realize I only accomplished half of what I set out to do there) or even worse, when I am trying to have a phone call. Why is it that I cannot turn off my brain when I choose to. Oh well, I am looking forward to my run tomorrow and will bring an agenda to think through:)

Annaka has started standing holding her lower back for pictures. I have no idea why....many times she is lifting up her dress at the same time. We said stand here for a picture and this was her pose.

She loved looking at and smelling the flowers.

Staring contest with the eagle.

By far, our favorite activity of the day was chasing the fountain. Up and down the ramp. Annaka and her friend she met at the fountains would run up and down chasing the quickly moving water.

Then she got all too comfortable with the water...sticking her hands, arms in the fountain.

This has nothing to do with Annaka...just a wierd looking venus fly trap plant I think looks cool.

In Charge

Who is in Charge? I guess I don’t stop too often to think about who is ‘in charge’. We teach Annaka to obey, not because we say so, but because God does. In fact the first thing out of her mouth when she knows she is in trouble is “Obey your Papa and Mama for THIS IS RIGHT” (Yes, she even over emphasizes the ‘this is right’ part sometimes pairing it with waving a pointed finger.)

This morning I found myself chuckling when I heard her telling her imaginary friend to “obey Mama, Papa and Annaka, this is right.” Wow, how quickly she learned to give herself the responsibility of being in charge.

It sent me into a few minutes of reflection about where we are at right now. (Waiting to get our visas and finishing up our to do list.) “Have I appointed myself ‘in charge’?” Even as I sit to write this I have been thinking about what we could possibly do to contact the Consulate to see if we can speed this process along. We have a plane to catch in less than three days, how can I get us to the point we need to be. I guess I will always be learning in one way or another about who is ‘in charge’ and that I can rest in HIS loving arms while watching HIS plan unfold. I am not ‘in charge’ and I don’t care to be. If HE wants us on that plane this week, HE will get us there. All I can do is be ready and have a good attitude either way.

I marvel at how He chooses to teach me lessons I should have learned quite a while ago....maybe that is why he is using my two year old to ‘remind’ me.

Thank you Lord that you are in control, and thank you for refining my heart.

p.s. We got to 'play' with pumpkins the other day...yea for fall!

Girly Girl....

Grandma sent me some high heels, earrings, ring, bracelet....they match my purse:)

I love wearing my earrings.

Enjoying cake and ice cream for Susanna's birthday! Note the spoon in one hand and eating cake and icecream with the other. Who needs utensils.

My new friend Susanna.

P.S. She still has her jewlery on even at dessert.

Random Thoughts

1. I love dryer sheets.....They are the ultimate multi purpose household item. Not only are they handy in the laundry, they will keep bees away. Some mailmen keep them in their pocket. They will also get your tub three shades lighter! Soap scum no more! (Thats my favorite use of them) When I was Pregnant with Annaka I would simply throw in an unused dryer sheet, add a little bit of water and use my swollen foot to clean the tub. (Maybe I should not admit that out loud...)

2. Vera Bradley is wonderful. Not only did she create these amazing purses and accessories, she also designed a box that is almost as much of a treasure! They are snazzy looking, hold cakes well, or hats if you are into that I guess. (Dont know many people who still look for hat boxes but if they are out there this would be for them!)

3. I actually miss high heels.... We have packed and moved and are in the process of moving and I miss my high heels. A hot pink pair and a black pair to be specific. I am sure I wont miss them when walking on the uneven roads where we are headed. I love watching Annaka clomp around in them too!

4. I love tender moments where I can see my daughters gentle heart. I have always prayed over her at bedtime and now she is a big girl and does it some herself. Tonight after I prayed she immediately said "Annaka had fun watering flowers" so I told her that we can thank God for making the flowers. She prayed "Thank you God for flowers". Then when I told her we can thank God for everything He made she replied "God made people". I said yes so we prayed "Than you God for Papa and Mama" then she took off on her own thanking God for everyone staying in the house tonight:)! I melted.

5. I love sunflowers. Annaka bought me a sunflower from Produce Junction the other day. It is looking at me right now. How cheery!

6. I love Produce Junction. Wish there was one in ever area we lived. Ahhhh.

7. Phone ringers have gotten louder. This causes some confusion and some joy. Confusion as when we are in public I have no idea if it is mine, someone I am with, or someone in another isle's phone singing away. Joy as I watch Annaka dance to whatever ring it is:)

8. I have had colored fingers a lot lately. When making a cake I accidentally began to spill the green food coloring. I wanted to 'catch it' before it hit the counter then it got all over my thumb and finger...under the nail...everywhere and stained it green. It remained that way for a few days. Then just as it cleared up my fingers were stained purple from eating bing cherries! I guess it is all for good reason. I just hope Annaka does not try to 'look like mommy' and use markers to maker her own colored.

9. Nutella....need i say more:) Yummy hazelnutty chocolatety goodness....here is evidence that it is good.... (kinda hard to see in the photos but she has it on her eyebrows, chin, ear, cheek, lip, everywhere!)

10. I LOVE BEING A MOM:) I am having so much fun watching Annaka grow up and having the privilege of being her mom!

Transition and PiggyTails

Transition......

There are a handful of people (outside of family) that we meet through life that we wish we could just preserve and have around forever. People that we respect greatly, look up to, and sometimes just don't know how to tell them or express how much they mean to you.

A family left today. Yes that sounds vague, and if anyone knows about all the transition that is in our life right now that may not even seem unusual. We are currently in PA working through a few details for our business and were blessed to be able to be here to say goodbye to some amazing people. They lived in Brazil for many years, ran the office here in PA for 17 years and now are moving to Oregon! They really have been a backbone of this organization and have mentored/impacted many many people along the way. They have done an amazing job, and continue to serve in many ways. Thank you Larry and Vicki for your hard work through the years. Thank you for living your lives as an example to us who are at the beginning of our adult life. (Can I still say that even though I will be turning 30 in less than a year?) You are not only an encouragement to us, but an example we look up to.

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...

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How could I post without a picture.....

Here are two pictures of Annaka's Prli.tee.s as she pronounces them. (Like Pretties but with an added L in the middle there) She wants to wear them all the time! So fun now that she FINALLY has enough hair to put up!

P.P.S. As I was typing this I eye-witnessed Annaka sleepwalking! I had to stop myself as I began to laugh out loud! She kind of rolled to the top corner of the twin mattress, stood up to her feet, and walked in circles around the room. I walked over, picked her up and she plopped her head down on my shoulder. As soon as I put her back down in her bed she rolled over and was asleep.

:) Should have thought quick and taken a photo!

2nd Birthday

Oh boy! I think the second birthday is harder on moms than the first! When they turn one we are still experiencing a 'first'...but this time she knew exactly what to do! Been there, done that, lets eat cake. (*by the way, Vera Bradley boxes work great as cake boxes)



What fun! Annaka turned two and mom got two tries at making (and not dropping) her cake! :) Her first birthday party was with some friends from church at South Lake Park. She loves "Bob and Larry" so we had a Bob and Larry cake, cookies and color sheets. When we got to the park, the cake box fell on the top so the cake scrunched toward the top...swishing upward. Sadly, we did not get any good pictures before the 'incident'.


Yep, there you can see the two cake parts seporated and all the icing is pretty crinkled. Oh well, at least she still knew who they were. :) We made way toooo many cookies and ended up eating them the entire week after!


I think this is the only year we will get away with this, but we told everyone not to bring her any presents. We are moving and dont have room for new toys right now. That tactic may not work so well with a seven year old, but for her second birthday she knows no difference. She had her friends and cake there. The two most important! :)

One of her best friends, Jeremiah, brought her some flowers. It was so sweet! He gave them to her and then they kept hugging. We had our photographer and friend Jonathan take some photos of them together. They may come in handy in a slide show in about 25 years. :)


Oh, and because of the short attention span of the nearly/newley two year olds we also had bubbles. No, they were not green or red bubbles or with Bob or Larry shaped wands...Im not that good at birthday parties yet...but they held the attention of the little ones for a little while.


And then came "my minnie cake!!!!" as Annaka often squeels. Anything that slightly reminds her of Minnie or cake or birthday and she is asking for it:)



I love this photo....as Annaka was blowing out the candles, here is sweet Mel in the background 'helping':)! I know we all tend to open our mouths when trying to spoon feed babies, and smile for people when we see them getting their photos taken.

Note the birthday blower in her hand above, then see below. She had fun blowing the noisemakers even though they did not make any noise.

Family gave her gifts to take with us. Things we asked for as we knew she would grow with them as we travel. One was this little 'laptop' so she can be like mommy and papa.

So intense!

We had fun, she turned two, mission accomplished:)

Hmmm

Hmmm, I think Annaka is a little too interested in the sheep and goats! We had a blast at the zoo with our friends The Chasteens. All the photos we got were of Annaka and these animals though:(

Then she was done with the smelly sheep and goats!