Back to school

This morning was the long-awaited return to school for Bennett and Arielle. The last few weeks they have been asking daily when they get to go back! They both love school, their friends and activities. We even found out that two afternoons a week after class for the kindergarten (Bennett) there is a one hour Taekwondo class for kids! Bennett is very excited about this too and we are thankful it was very affordable!

We do ask that you pray for Bennett and Arielle. This is a new school for both of them. There was not any room for Arielle in the Pre-K class at the school where Bennett went and thus we made the decision to move them both rather than drive all over the place everyday!

It is still francophone and uses the French curriculum, and so far we are impressed with the facilities. So we are hoping for a great year there!

In Black and White

 

A little look at this past week when we went visiting. A good time as always!

 

Rebecca and Miriama get ready to start making our “noon meal” We always bring the bread! Here Miriama is just picking off the leaves from the stems. This is a local plant and we eat the leaves in sauce every time we come. It’s our favorite!

Then Rebecca pounds the wet leaves into a green paste.

While the sauce is cooking, we chat with ladies and sometimes we play with the kids. There are always kids there. Especially if Bennett and Arielle come, then the neighbourhood pours in to play with them too. This is Fatima. She is there every week. She calls us her family. She is precious.   

This little guy is Ibrahim. He is a little trouble maker. Always stealing toys and wanting attention! I took this shot carefully. He has not pants on. Ever! And I found him clutching a little toy car of Bennett’s firmly---between his thighs. His nose always runs and is full of sand and snot. He eats dirt. He has a distended belly that points me to think he has worms. His smile is huge though! What a kid! We hope to see him grow up healthy and stay around long enough to learn some things!! (and yes…i admit to bleaching that little toy car when we got home before it went into anyone’s mouth!)

  

Finally the food was ready! We break the bread and dip it into the sauce. The sauce has tree leaves, tomatoes, squash, garlic, salt, hot peppers, potatoes and spices in it. It is quite yummy!

Bennett took this shot. All of us enjoying our food!

And I know it’s not black and white- but check out those leaves!

Flower child and making friends

First of all- Arielle the flower child. Mom spent some time trying to remember how to French braid last week. I remember my Mom used to braid my hair like this when I was young. I can’t for the life of me seem to get good at it. Maybe when I see my Mom at Christmas time she can give me a few pointers? Arielle felt so pretty with her hair she wanted to dress up and go pick flowers. So we did!

 

    

 

A few days after that, the kids went to play in the schoolyard across the street.

Bennett brought his bat and ball to play with the neighbour boy Boobay (who is 6)

    And where two children are playing, more will surely follow. Two became four.

Four became six.

And six eventually became at least a dozen or more! All the kids badly wanted their photo taken. In fact if I pulled out my camera they would start all running towards me, completely stopping what they were doing, which is what I had wanted to take a photo of in the first place!

But chaos and all, it was fun to see the kids playing and enjoying themselves outside the gate. I know it can be a little overwhelming for them when 12 kids swarm them, none of whom speak French or English, but who all want to play with them, and of course their toys!

And what was Arielle doing through all of the rough boy play? Making friends of course!