A Gift of Love

A week ago, Faith looked like this.....

 

 And today she looks like this.....

 She hopes that the next little girl enjoys wearing braids as much as she did.

Faith has the blessed ability to grow beautiful hair.  She knows that not all little girls in the world can do the same.


Makes a mama proud!

Happy 10th Birthday Faith!

 My second born daughter turned 10 yesterday and as all you mothers wound tend to agree, it came way too soon.

 We celebrated with a party at our home on Saturday.  Her request was for a few kids from school to come over and enjoy a banana pudding....easy to please.  Which I will consider my #1 top 10 things I love about Faith.

 #2 - I love that she's always eager to laugh or make someone else to laugh.

#3 - I love that the only present she asked for was a slingshot.
#4 - I love that she knows my every move in the kitchen and can guess what I need next.  We're a great team.
#5 - I love that she likes to be different. (Even when it causes me great stress on school mornings!)
#6 - I love how independent she's become since moving to Portugal.
#7 - I love that she gave her heart to Jesus this summer!
#8 - I love that she's a great big sister to her younger siblings.  And a pretty good little sister to Brooklyn.
#9 - I love that she's very tenderhearted towards all animals, big and small.
#10 - I love that SHE'S MINE!  Thank you Lord!


"Happy Birthday you sweet knucklehead!  We love you so much and we're very proud of you!"
     Love,
       Mom and Dad

Photo Essay - July

From the looks of Bloggy Land, everyone is pretty busy these days. I'm not the only one who's posting randomly these last few months.

I don't have much to say really except that we are enjoying summer to the fullest. Just around the corner lurks the dark, cold and rainy Portuguese winter days, so I plan to live life to the fullest right now while I can.

I thought I'd share a few photos showing some events that took place during July.



The first news I'll share with you is by far, the most important. My second daughter Faith accepted the Lord as her Savior while at summer camp last week! We are thrilled that the Lord answered our prayers and that she is now a part of the family of God!

Michael and our three oldest kids went to camp last week. They had a wonderful time, and returned with arm loads of toys, pool floats and dirty clothes! I stayed home with these two boogers:



We had a nice time just relaxing and enjoying one another. I actually became bored at one point. Only having two kids to care for left me lots of time to wish for the return of the rest of my family.

My "babies" played so well together....Trinity took care of Justice as if he were her son...which only left me with even more time on my hands.



We laughed and we played....





In the middle of July we hosted a "think tank' meeting with others that serve in various areas of the church in Braga. It lasted all day, and of course included lunch.





We went camping one night.....ahem....that's all I'll say on that subject.



We received a surprise package in the mail from a precious family in Mississippi! These are ALWAYS a highlight of being on the mission field!




And so that brings us to August. Michael's mom and step dad will be visiting us later this month, so we are in preparations for their arrival. The month of August is traditionally the month of vacations. A lot of businesses close for the month or at least for several weeks. Vacationers from all over Europe come for the beaches and warmer weather. The roads and grocery stores around me are packed with folks speaking all different languages. Church attendance is down considerably as folks are traveling visiting family. Everything slows way down this time of year. So we'll try to enjoy it as school will begin the middle of September and our busy lives will resume their normal hectic paces.

So, until next time...happy summer ya'll!

Friday Photo Flashback

My first three children were born very close together. Then there seemed to be a little breathing room before #4 and eventually #5 were born.

Having those three baby girls was so much fun but equally as much work......wow...those days were almost a blur!


This was one Sunday after church. They were sitting on the guest bed. I believe it was a weekend when their Mimi was visiting us. We were living in Georgia.



This was taken at our favorite Pumpkin Patch, just outside of Atlanta. We loved that place!!



And here was the first day of school 2004.

Tonight I'll take them all to basketball practice...they sure grow up fast!




Hope you guys have a great weekend!

Heroes Come In Small Packages - Guest Blogger

Charles Barkley’s not one, by his own admission. He’s not even in the running for a spot on the role model team. He’s not even worthy to sit on that bench. Would you elect a governor who told you not to let your kids look up to him?

Many former presidents, legislators, and judges fail the heroic litmus test miserably. The current crop of movie stars and media moguls have burned out like a match in the face of hurricane Ike. Yet, today we continue to knight people with the moniker of “hero” based solely on one qualification - their appearance on a plasma screen. All of this while true public servants (police officers, the military, ministers, teachers and the like) are rebuked and reviled by the faux Hollywood heroes.

In bygone eras it just wasn’t so. Those called heroes exuded courage, wisdom, and morality. They did what you prayed they would. They made decisions that you and I only have the fortitude to consider, and that, only at times.

Walter M. Schirra and I share common ground here. Schirra, the only astronaut to fly the space shuttles Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo, once said this of heroes. He said that you don’t raise them. Instead, “...you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they’ll turn out to be heroes, even if it’s just in your own eyes.” (As an aside, those of us with more common sense than fear of the sensitivity police know, with certainty, that when Schirra spoke of sons, he included daughters.)

Therefore, in the Schirra school of “hero-ology” the first prerequisite remains - parents must raise their children. We can no longer simply “play an active role” in the raising of our children. We’ve got to actually do the raising.

We can’t rely on the government, the village, the church, or the rectangular box of moving lights that we keep in our living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, and now in our SUV’s and minivans. Too many of my generation rose to adulthood with the extent of their home training being done by Cliff and Claire Huxtable of the Cosby family. Sadly enough, many times all the raising this generation gets comes from Hulk Hogan and Ozzy Osbourne, and it’s called reality TV. What a bizzaro world we live in today?!

Last week, in a foreign country, with a foreign language and culture, we took a very small step in raising our daughters, as daughters. We took them to school with only a cursory knowledge of what they are getting into. They understand only a small part of the language, and they verbalize even less.

Two years ago, when we started the journey to come to Portugal and start churches, they had no choice in the matter. When we took them to school and told them to behave and try hard and not to embarrass us - the only Americans this school has ever known; they started trying to do just that. They didn’t rebel, and they never mentioned a child’s favorite four letter word - fair.

They didn’t have a choice in coming, but they do have a choice in responding. You may wonder - what of their response? Well, suffice it to say, in my eyes, they just took a small step on the path to heroism.

Don’t subscribe to this particular path? Perhaps Oprah has a little more room on her couch.


~~~Written by Michael Andrzejewski for The LaGrange Daily News.

First Day of School

Here are pictures of them heading out the door this cool, foggy morning.


Today was the first day of school and everything went well. During a parents meeting Tuesday night, (the night before school started...waited a little late didn't they?) we discovered they had Brooklyn, Faith and Liberty in the same grade. First grade. Faith and Liberty probably need to start in the first grade with the opportunity to work through first and second grade in the same year. Which is what we are trying to do. But Brooklyn absolutely will not go in the first grade. So we kept her out today as we made a trip back to the school later this morning with her language teacher who is a retired teacher of 33 years at the same school to discuss this matter with the school officials. I tell you what, messing with my kids is a sure enough way to see the wildcat in me. I take after my Grandma when it comes to this. My family knows what I'm talking about when I say that. My sweet girl, who is much taller than the average 9 yr. old here in Portugal, will not sit in a class with 6 and 7 yr olds. She'd barely fit in the chair!! Why would they do that to a child?!

Anyway, after a meeting with officials and the girls language teacher putting her neck on the line saying she would be responsible for her they agreed Brooklyn needed to be put in the third grade provided she could pass a test that she will take tomorrow morning. So those of you praying, please keep praying. Brooklyn was very nervous this morning as we sat in a very small, crowded meeting room with three Portuguese people talking very rapidly around her and about her. She was addressed directly from the school officials and she understood everything that was asked of her, but she was very shy in responding. She doesn't like all this attention.

Onto another thought before I get fired up again. After the parents meeting Tues. night we all went to the classes where our kids would be so that we could get specific instructions from the individual teachers. The first grade classroom didn't have a single thing on the wall. Not even the letters of the alphabet. The bookshelves were empty and there were three potted plants in various places. Nothing that indicated school started in the morning. Now this is a first for us, public education, but don't teachers in the States start decorating their classrooms weeks in advance? And get this, this morning when I dropped off Faith and Lib we arrived about 10 minutes before school started and we went straight to their room so I could introduce them to Professora Fatima. But the class was empty so we waited outside the school for her arrival. School starts at 9:00 and she showed up about 9:05. Unbelievable!! And she wasn't carrying anything in her hand but her purse! ----When will she decorate the room?----Can you tell this bothers me...maybe I need to volunteer? Be her "room mom". Do they still have those? I loved room moms when I was in school. They were the coolest moms who always brought cupcakes and threw the best classroom parties. That's what I want to be. "The Cool American Mom" who barely speaks Portuguese. Kids love it when I try to talk and mess up. They think I'm hilarious....wait a minute...my kids probably won't think it hilarious, huh. Embarrassing is a much better word. Maybe I need to rethink this.

Finally...Watermelon!

Watermelon is a beloved treat in this family. All 5 of my kids adore this fruit. However, melons are pretty expensive here...especially when it takes so much of our American dollars to get a Euro. Anyway...I splurged yesterday and bought a tiny melon. Just enough for us all to have one small slice. It was about the size of a softball on steroids...

Boys....got to love 'em.

I know..he needs a haircut.

Faith is always wherever my camera is.

Notice the grass.

That grossed daddy out, so he washed it off for him.

Much better.

Working out the Kinks

My new camera has finally arrived! Nothing happens quickly around here for some reason. I'm working on all the settings and I've been snapping pictures like crazy all day today. So here are a few:

Trin and Justice cleaning their room

A distant neighbor flying the Portuguese flag

Brooklyn, Faith & Justice

Brooklyn hanging out the clothes

Faith trying to look sweet...only trying. Don't let her fool you!

Faith trying to look cool....again, only trying! Tonight we had a "family night out". These don't happen too often as we try to watch the amount of gas that we use. Gas is about $9.50 a gallon! Anyway, we went to McDonald's!! Yep! The girls got Happy Meals and these cool glasses were their surprise.

First day of School?

Update: The girls did great! The first thing Brooklyn said to me as we were leaving the school was, "Mom, I wish tomorrow wasn't Saturday, but Monday!" As we were all walking down the sidewalk, kids kept running up to the girls to say "bye". Liberty responded to one boy, "Bye, potato boy!". I said, "Liberty, why did you call that kid 'potato boy'?" She said, "Mom, all day he would come up to me and say...potato, chicken, rooster & banana....he kept saying potato over and over again!" I laughed, visualizing these boys and girls using the English that they had been taught. Even if it meant saying 'potato' over and over again!----And get this...usually the few kids in the neighborhood look at us funny, as if we're changing colors right in front of them. We've had a hard time meeting other kids for our children to play with. Well, today...two girls came to our house to play with the girls!! These two girls had seen our girls at school yesterday and one of them had played with our girls, so they came over today to play!! This is a really big step for us. Please pray for our children and the Portuguese girls, Carla and Clada.

Yesterday, my husband went to the local school here in our small village to discuss with them the "possibility" of our three oldest children attending next year. He wanted to see if they were prepared to have students who understood very little Portuguese. In America, any kid, no matter what he or she speaks is welcome in school. But we don't live in America. You have to do things their way around here, or they don't get done! So we wanted to know 'the rules".

Everyone who has asked why our children weren't in school this year thought it very odd that we "schooled at home". They have no idea what this means and would always ask if that's even possible to do here in Portugal. "Of course it's possible...we're doing it aren't we?!?" (That's what I'd like to say...)

So Michael walked down to the local school yesterday with Brooklyn. They took a short tour (it's a very small school) and talked with the director who spoke no English, but was a very friendly lady. They went into the 3rd grade classroom and met the teacher. All the kids called out to Brooklyn, using the English they had been taught..."Hello!" "Hello, my friend!" Brooklyn's response was, "Ola". (Which is the only way she knows to respond right now.)

Later when they returned home, Michael and Brooklyn both walked in with wide eyes and smirks on their faces. I was eagerly awaiting their return as I desperately wanted to know what the outcome of this meeting would be. Michael started off with, "Brooklyn, do you want to tell her or do you want me to do it? Brooklyn giggled, "You do it Daddy." Michael responded..... "They're going to school tomorrow."

"Tomorrow...!!" "No...not tomorrow...I'm not ready..."

"Why tomorrow?....schools almost out....they don't have 'school clothes'....I don't have snacks to send with them...I'm not ready for this...THEY'RE not ready for this...they don't speak Portuguese for goodness sake!!"---All these thoughts ran through my mind in less than a second.

After Michael told me how everything went while at the school it was determined that going to school today and all next week, which is the last week of school, would help them know what to expect next September.

After talking with Brooklyn, Faith and Liberty, I felt better because they were all pretty excited about going. Each had their reservations, but the excitement was to great to ignore.

"Maybe they were ready...maybe it's just me who liked the security of keeping them safe at home...shielding them from the sneers, giggles and cruelty of other children....Maybe it's time to test them...to see what they can do...to let them try to make it in a foreign place. They've seen their parents try to do it in a foreign place, so they know how to mess up.....I'm sure of that! But maybe they also learned how to do it with 'grace'."

Brooklyn's alarm clock went off this morning and within 3 minutes, she was dressed and standing at my bedroom door rubbing sleep out of her eyes telling me she was ready to go. She was so very excited.

Faith had her usual, "I don't really care" attitude. She's fine either way.

Liberty was a little sad acting with a worried look on her face. She got upset when we were trying to pick out a bag to carry her snack in. The one I chose was too big, she said. Liberty turned 6 in January. The average 1st grader in Portugal is 7 when he/she begins the year. So I'm concerned about her age. But when she left, she was fine.

So.....after much prayer and a few tears....this was our departing moment this morning. Michael took them. It's a 10 minute walk. I had to let him do it, cause if I had taken them I would have brought all three back home with me!

Red Light, Green Light

The other day Faith was required to color a traffic light as part of her school work. She called to me and asked, "Mom, will you remind me what colors are in a traffic light, and which one goes on top?"

At first I thought she was kidding, then I realized she wasn't. She said, "I can't remember."

Here, we only see one traffic light each week and that is when we make the trip into Braga for church on Sunday morning. It's a small, dinky light that was put in a very awkward place, but nonetheless, it's a traffic light and it's the only one we ever see.

On the other hand, there are rotundas everywhere. This is how they control traffic at the congested areas and if you ask my opinion, it's the way to go! I love these things. If there isn't any traffic coming in the rotunda, you can zip right through without having to slow down at all. This eliminates stopping unnecessarily at stop signs and red lights. Don't you hate to come to a complete stop when there are clearly no cars coming? Or worse, waiting at a red light at 11:00 at night when you're the only person on the road?

Everyone in the rest of the world wants to be like "America". Well, I think "America" could learn a few things from the rest of the world!