Today Was A Fun Day...

Here's just a few reasons why today was a fun day...

1. It rained all day keeping things under 70 degrees!


2. Caden and I built a fort out of the card table and a few sheets.


3. I love the pure joy that a toddler displays when realizing the tent is for him.

4. This is what I saw for most of the morning.

5. And this is why.... (am I a cool Mommy, or what?!)


6. Corban woke up talking (rather than crying, always a nice treat) and this is how I found him..


7. Yes, he did that all by himself. Yet Caden couldn't stand to not be a part of the fun.


8. Dreams of more fun times in the future.

9. Fun giggles.

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10. Long sleeved shirts and pants for pajamas...and socks!

Today was a fun day to be Mommy!
Thank you, God, for these precious gifts.

Yes, We Celebrated Too!

This year our team celebrated the 4th of July at our house. Our activities included flour sack races, three-legged races, a children's parade (complete with patriotic songs-thanks Abby & Hannah), eating (fruit pizza, sausage balls, jell-o in the shape of stars, blue kool-aid, and red popsicles), and socializing. I enjoyed decorating a bit with red and blue (thanks Mom!) before everyone arrived. So yes, just because we live in a different country doesn't mean we can celebrate the 4th of July...it might just look a bit different and no one around us understands it.

It's not a picture, Caden.

Caden thinks that our digital camera is only used for taking pictures. As you can see in this video...he's a bit confused.

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In case you didn't catch that...my kids are named Cor-man and Ca-nan. Nice.


Caden was quite excited this morning for him and Corban to put on matching shirts (Thanks Nanna!), I couldn't resist the photo opp.

Caden's eyes are quirky in this one, but I wanted to show you how big Corban is in comparison to Caden. I think he's going to pass Caden...and dominate him. Watch out Caden!

Nap Time

It was nap time at the Emerson house. I heard giggling. This is what was happening...

Caden's Prayer

Dear God, Thank you Momma, Daddy, Corban. Thank you A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z. Now I know my ABCs, next time you sing with me. A, a, apple, thank you. B, b, ball, thank you. C, c, computer, thank you. Jesus' name, Amen.

I'm 7 months old!

He did not want to sit still for this picture.
Happy guy!
Angry guy.
Cute guy.

He's Gonna Jump!!!

Couch Jumper
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Angry Alphabet

Angry Alphabet
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The Grass

Caden was playing in the playroom with one of our interns when he suddenly jumped up and exclaimed, "Go pee pee, fast." The intern replied, "O.K., go...the bathroom's right there" (pointing to the bathroom connected to the room they were in). Caden proceeded to run out of the room, down the hall, out the front door, through the porch door to the tree in the front yard. Keep in mind, Caden runs around naked so that potty experiences can be handled at a quick pace. Also, I should tell you that our "front yard" is surrounded by a concrete wall, therefore, no Africans can gawk at my naked child. Back to the story...next thing I know Caden has bent his knees slightly, thrust his hips forward, and is peeing in the grass at the base of our tree. Watching him through the window I asked, "Caden, what are you doing?" "Go pee pee, grass!" Oh of course, where else would a little boy go pee pee?!

Oh My!

I created a few writing pages for Caden yesterday to see what he could do. They were connect the dot pages of letters and shapes. The first one was his name, a circle, and a square. I couldn't help but smile the whole time he was writing...he was concentrating so hard.

This page was just lines....straight, curvy, zig-zag, etc. Caden decided it would be better to just circle all the lines.

I wanted to see if he could follow instructions and test his shapes and colors.
Here were his instructions (given individually):

• color the circle red (he gave every shape a little red, but chose the crayon himself)
• color the square blue
• color the diamond orange (oops, he chose yellow...but when asked, he told me it was yellow)
• color the triangle orange

And this is what I get for trying to teach him to write his letters (and then not keeping an eye on him)...

Don't worry (SheaLea) , he's still getting lots of opportunities to explore his creative side with blank canvas...and we're still working on the concept that we write only on paper.

New Talents

Corban is learning to sit all by himself. While it's still a difficult to talk him into bending at the waist (he would prefer to stand all day), he is able to sit for a few seconds on his own before his curiosity gets the best of him and he topples to one side. We're working on crawling too...no such luck.Just ask one of the four guys (college interns) staying at our house and they will testify that Caden is, indeed, obsessed with his ABCs. Today I printed out a few color sheets from the Fisher-Price website (great site!) and he was so excited to color the letters. Look what I caught him doing....


Now that we have the singing part down, maybe it's time to start the writing.

Love it!

You gotta love it when you have a family member who is so talented. Our sister-in-law, Betsy, did a baby body parts collage for Caden and it's one of my favorite keepsakes. She took pictures for Corban's collage while we were in the States. Check out the beautiful finished product...

Laughs, Giggles, & Squeals

I told you Corban thinks Caden is hilarious, right?
Here's a video to give you a small glimpse of what I'm talking about...

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Notice how similar their voices (ok, squeals) are?

Sweet Corban

Things you might not know about Corban:

• 2 bottom teeth
• eating rice cereal (he actually prefers the organic brand)
  
• sitting on his own for a few seconds
• prefers to stand in your lap rather than sit
• will roll off a blanket and all over the floor
  
• makes cute spitting noises
• notices when he's left alone
• thinks Caden is hilarious!
  

3 Special Boys

I love this picture of my boys (yes, that includes Brett)! I was going to write this long post about why I love each them but thought it might be interesting to see what other people have to say. So go ahead, leave us a comment describing one of my boys, a special memory you have of them, or your favorite thing about them. I know I love them very much and I want them each to know how much they're loved by others as well. Thanks for helping me out on this special post. --April

Yes, He's Growing

Corban is now 6 months old ... can you believe it?! I know many of you have not seen pictures of him recently (sorry blogger friends) so I'm posting his 4, 5, and 6 month pictures with Mattie, the bear. 4 months

5 months

6 months

If you can believe it, Corban is more smiley than Caden was at this age. One of our friends says when Corban smiles his face says, "I just can't make my face smile any bigger...I promise I would if I could!" Love it!

BROTHERS!

5 months & 2 years, 6 months
Caden LOVES Corban and loves to do things with him. The day we took Corban's 5 month pics, Caden jumped right up on the bed and started posing on his own. I won't be posting his pictures for obvious reasons, but this one of the two of them was too cute (not to mention well positioned) not to post.

Furlough Series #2

April's brother Allen and his wife Sarah live in southern California. Allen works for Pepperdine in the Advancement office, and Sarah works for one of the big insurance companies. This year the end of our furlough coincided with the annual Pepperdine Lectures, so we took that excuse to go and spend some time with Allen and Sarah :)Corban had never met his aunt and uncle, so this was a special time for him! He got lots of special treatment since we left his big brother back in Nashville with Brett's parents. We definitely enjoyed the week long break from having a 2 year old and enjoyed the relaxation that is so easy to find in Malibu. Taking Corban was a given because he is still nursing and is such an easy baby, but we had the added motivation or trying to get Allen and Sarah to catch the baby bug :)Allen and Sarah are loving, tons of fun, committed, hard-working, Kingdom-minded and highly respected by everyone who knows them. We are honored to have you guys as family AND friends!

All Is Quiet

All is quiet...and momma is playing on the computer (notice the new header). Thanks Aunt Betsy for the beautiful pics of the boys!

Toddler Moments

Last night Caden threw up red kool-aid on our carpet. Today he colored with a black Sharpie marker on our title floor. He also had Play-doh for a snack. Oh to be a toddler.

Furlough Series, Post #1

Furlough ended about 2 weeks ago, and here we are back in Togo. After returning from the States and heading back to our other home across the lake, we are acutely aware of how insane our lives are. Please take the word "insane" in the best possible context :) We are loving being home, missing our family and friends, excited for the next several months, and sad that we can't relive the last two. Such is the emotional toll of life as a missionary!The first people to receive furlough love on our blog are none other than Marcus & Jessicca Moore. M & J have been huge in our lives for about 8 years now, and we were honored that they took the long drive down from NorCal to meet us in Malibu. We have truly never encountered more loving, caring, fun, upright and just generally outstanding people in our lives. M & J are going to be parents in about 7 months or so, and their kid will surely be one of our favorites as well!Don't worry if your name is not M or J Moore; we plan to post pics from our entire furlough and the people we love that we were blessed to spend time with :)

How We Roll

Traveling internationally with two little tykes is something that you never really look forward to. Our strategy has been to realize up front that it's going to be crazy and just roll with it. It saves alot of stress, headaches, arguments, spankings and statements of disbelief about what someone just did or what just happened. You know how it's impossible to explain to young married people without kids what it's like to have kids? Well, in the same way, it's also impossible to explain to others what it's like to criss-cross continents, time zones, climates and cultures with a 2 and a half year old and a 5 month old in tow.


That being said, we have two boys who are GREAT travelers! Caden and Corban both just go with the flow and don't cause a ruckus. Corban is at an especially great age for traveling; as long as he's sleeping, breastfeeding or flirting with filght attendants, he's happy. Caden can be a little more testy at times, but hey, he's two years old and we put him through alot :)

So without further ado, here is a photo safari of our lives while traveling through airports, airplanes, tarmacs, customs, transfer buses, trams, and the madness that inevitably ensues :)
We have this cool thing that straps a car seat to a carry on suitcase for easy transport through airport terminals. Caden just rolls through airports people-watching and enjoying the ride. I usually frown on people who put leashes on their children in airports and other public settings, but is this really that different??? Hmmmm...At least we don't have to wonder where Caden is all the time, and he seems to like it just fine. This gadget is appropriately named the "Tote-a-Tot".
Where would we be without our Bjorn?!?!? The Baby Bjorn is a Swedish-made contraption that makes hauling a baby through the airport much easier than it should be. Corban loves the view and we love the easiness of it. His times in the Bjorn are some of Corban's biggest opportunities to flirt with anyone and everyone he meets!
Waiting. Sitting. Reading. Snacking. Being flexible. We do alot of all of these things while hopping ponds between our two homes. Caden needs lots of distractions at his age, and thankfully airports are full of them! We don't have a picture of it, but you know those things that are like flat escalators that easily gain hurried travelers a good 7 seconds between gates while heading to gate 197? Yeah, Caden loves those. He and Brett have probably walked on those things enough to be the equivalent of walking from Detroit to Nashville a few dozen times, but hey, whatever works :)
This is always nice: a sleeping baby means a few minutes rest for either mommy or daddy while waiting for the next flight. Why EITHER mommy or daddy, and not both? Five letters: C-A-D-E-N!!!
You now how you board a plane, see some little kids, and pray that you're not near them? Normally this is justified, because small children are at the very bottom of the pantheon of good travelers. Not so with our two sweet boys; without fail, on every flight we take, somebody comments on our boys and how good they were on the long flight or how sweet they were to flash their handsome grins their way...

Maybe it's genetics. Maybe it's our stellar parenting. Maybe it's that God knew we couldn't handle unruly kids! Whatever the reason, He chooses to bless our comings and goings. We thank Him for the opportunity to travel and see the world, and to share it with our two little boys, who will hopefully read this one day and now that they are blessed...

Two Things:

1) We're home in Kara! (and no, the pic below was not taken in Kara...don't we wish...)

2) We're aware that we haven't blogged in awhile, but we're not going to do the whole blog post where we apologize for being out of touch for such a long time and then promise to get better only to fail to post again for weeks on end. That's just not our style. If you read this blog, then you know that we are some of the most regular bloggers around, and now that we're back in Togo, being regular is very important :)The cool thing about us not blogging for awhile is the reason: we were actually sharing our lives everyday in meaningful ways with the ones we love! Instead of just posting pictures and reading the comments, we were able to see so many of our friends and family in the flesh, hug them, laugh with them, watch ours boys enjoy them, and relish in the blessing of quality time that God gave us.

So now, we exhale. It's good to be home, of course, but we miss everyone already! We are, however, glad to be getting back into routines and a slower pace of life. That America place is CRAZY!

Our Home in Togo

Here is a video of our home in Togo. After many questions and requests for pictures and video of what our home is like, here is our response! You might want to grab a snack, it's kind of long...

Pink Eye and Other Updates

Well, we are enjoying a few days in Searcy with friends, some old and even a few new ones. We're not big "Harding is the Greatest Place on Earth" people, but we will always have a strong emotional attachment to this place. We still have a ton of friends here that we absolutely love, and that makes the trip more than just one of nostalgia...

In other news, both of the boys have pink eye. Besides being gross, those weepy, crusty, swollen eyes make them feel a little less than stellar. They still continue to be great though, smiling and happy and winning the hearts of everyone they meet...

We have 19 days left in the States. That's still a good little while, which is good, because we're not ready to go home to Togo just yet. America has so many little fun and convenient things that we're still going to experience before we leave :)

On Saturday we'll be heading back to Montgomery to continue our bonding time with our sponsoring church. Once again, please pray for our comings and goings!

You Gotta See This!!!

Click HERE for some adorable pictures of Caden, Corban, and their 5 cousins.  Thanks Aunt Betsy!

On Our Way

We'll be on a plane bound for the States via Germany in about 2 hours. If all goes well, we will be back to our "other home" sometime Thursday afternoon. Please pray for our comings and goings!

Rolling Right Along

It's as if he is saying, "Hey everybody, look how big I am!"

On Monday (17th), Corban rolled from his tummy to his back three different times. I was sure he had it down and would do it any time he was placed on his tummy...he hasn't done it since. This video was my attempt to capture on video his new skill. Instead, I captured Corban sharing with the world how he did NOT want to be on his tummy. It is such a contrast to our happy, smiley baby that I thought it was funny.

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Rain In March

In case you are unfamiliar with our seasons here in Togo, there are two: wet and dry. Both are hot. The dry season is typically from September through May, with the hottest times being February-April. This week we received a special treat...a blessing, if you will, from God. RAIN! It began storming around 2 or 3 in the morning and didn't stop raining until 10 or so. Now in the States you often hear, "It's raining? Oh, how depressing." or something of the sort. Not so here...at least for me. It is party time! The rain brings in a refreshing coolness that can be achieved no other way. So even though I know the farmers and others working hard in the dry season were frustrated by this unexpected rain...I was doing a happy dance. We let Caden put on his rainboots and take his new umbrella outside to play in the rain. He loved it and was quite fascinated that he could stand under the umbrella and not get wet. Too much fun! Thank you God for the rain!

Have You Missed Us?

First, we'd like to apologize for the long time with no new pictures. It's been a busy week! April has had the little boys at home while Brett has been away for various reasons. The above picture was one where we were enjoying everyone being home together. Fun times!Brett was taking advantage of the time at home to do some exercising. Corban would laugh every time Brett completed a sit-up and Caden didn't want to be left out of the fun so he decided to help Daddy out by "pushing" him up with his feet. It was too funny not to take a picture. (Yes, Caden is still running around naked...but potty training is going well.)

A few days while Brett was gone, April took the boys to the pool with our friends. It has been SO hot that the pool is the only cool place to be (other than the air-conditioned car ride to the pool). The rise in temperatures has been the other reason we've allowed Caden to run naked. Not to mention that it is pretty normal in this culture. It's going to be difficult to explain to our friends in Montgomery why our toddler refuses to wear clothes.

Yikes!

The high today was 107.
We went swimming.
I didn't want to leave.


Enjoy your snow.

Hold Tight

When Caden wants to ride on the rope swing he says, "I wanna hold tight!" Then as he swings back and forth he exclaims, "Wheee!"

I kinda feel that way right now. I know I've got to hold tight while life swings me up and down. Now if I can just learn to exclaim "wheee" on the ups and the downs.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials many kinds" James 1:2
"Rejoice int he Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4