A New Job

As a mother, your jobs are ever changing and my job description is changing yet again. I, along with Becky Reeves, am the new PreSchool teacher. Currently, we have three students: Caden, Caleb & Jonah (his family is visiting). We had our first day last week and it went well. We are meeting two days a week for about three hours. I teach on Wednesdays and Becky teaches on Saturdays (yes, our team kids go to school on Saturday because Monday is a day off for family).

First day of Preschool
September 23, 2009

Playing with puzzles at the table.

A "train" of friends going to an outside activity.

We talked about our bodies this first week. These are the boys' self portraits.

Boy. Puppy. Monkey.

Recent fun with some of the animals that live at our house. Corban is by far the most wild animal we have :)

Corban_Jolie_Tiggy
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Birthday and Bread

We celebrated my 31st birthday this past Monday and it was such a treat! Brett had the entire day planned to pamper me beyond belief.


I was told I would have no "Mommy duties" but I didn't follow the rules. I couldn't help myself, it's just part of who I am!One of the treats of the day was when Brett took the boys in town to play and left me alone at the house. Now this is much bigger than you think because there was absolutely NO ONE at my house (no workers!). It was so quiet and I loved it! So what did I do? I decided to make bread. I had found some cracked wheat in Accra and was anxious to try and make wheat bread with the little bits of wheat on top like you can buy in America.


Now I've made bread with wheat flour before and it was ok...but this bread was incredible!
Brett said, "This tastes like sandwich bread we would buy in America" We figured out the cost (ingredients & transportation) and each loaf averages to about $2...still cheaper than the "good" whole grain stuff in the States.
The boys each ate 3 pieces toasted, with jelly, this morning for breakfast and were begging for more.
By the end of lunch (which was PB & J for the boys), the first loaf was completely gone.

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com under a section they had for making bread without a machine. I altered it slightly. So, for those of you still curious about the recipe...here it is exactly the way I made it. (You can find the original at allrecipes under "Simple Whole Wheat Bread")

3 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
3 t active dry yeast (or 2 (.25 ounce) packages)
1/3 c honey
4 cups flour
3 T butter, melted
1 T salt
4 c wheat flour
1/2 c cracked wheat
2 T butter, melted

1. In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast and 1/3 c honey. Add 4 cups white flour, and stir to combine (I used my KitchenAid, dough hook, setting: stir). Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.

2. Mix in 3 T melted butter, 1/3 c honey, and salt. Stir in 1/2 c cracked wheat and 3 c whole wheat flour. Flour (use wheat flour) a flat surface and knead with 1 c. wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 c of whole wheat flour. Place in greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled (I always use my oven).

3. Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Flour a clean surface with whole wheat flour and cracked wheat. Using rolling pin, roll dough out (cracked wheat on bottom). Starting from one end, roll dough tightly towards other end, pinching the seam to seal it. (Add more cracked wheat to the tops if desired) Place in greased loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes; do not overbake. Remove from pans to cooling rack. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 T melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. (Next time I will brush butter over entire loaf...it really did keep the top crust soft!) Cool completely.

Several of the comments said this was fool-proof, so I gave it a try and it was so simple! The best part was how yummy it was....seriously, you have to try it!

Pure Joy

May we, as adults, never lose the ability to experience pure joy in our lives. Thanks for the great smiles, Michal and Caden!

Some Of Our Recent Fun

The boys from the front....
and from the back...
Corban trying to figure out how to climb the tree like everyone else.

Caden found this swim mask and immediately needed to "try it out". There's more about this adventure in the video below.

And, of course, Corban had to take his turn at it too.

This video is several clips from different things we've done recently. Enjoy!

Corban And Corn

"Mine."
"I'm outta here...this corn harvesting stuff is too hard"
"Momma, why can't this be MY bedroom?"


Read more (and see more pictures) about our harvest here.

8 Years and Counting...

"You need to pack something to wear to dinner and also pack pajamas." And then he walked out the door. We had planned to have our anniversary dinner that night (Aug. 31) since our actual day would be a late night of work for Brett. So, I knew the dinner was coming....but the suitcase was a huge surprise! Who would keep our children? How did he plan this without me knowing? Where were we going? (Notice the expression of anticipation/shock on Corban's little face)Brett had made plans with our new teachers (Jacque Breuer, Bethany Cannon, and Sarah Hug) to spend the night at our house with our boys. This included feeding them dinner, bathing them, putting them to bed, waking up early with them, and feeding them breakfast....not to mention keeping them from hurting themselves or each other. They did a superb job and I'm not even sure our boys realized we were gone.

So, Brett came back from picking the girls up and we quickly left as the rain began to fall. We made a few stops to get some snack food before arriving at our final destination....Hotel Kara. They have these quaint little bungalows complete with a king bed, our own bathroom, and air conditioning. We ate dinner at the hotel's restaurant and enjoyed the place to ourselves. (For those of you curious...the dinner was mixed salad, lamb, green beans, french fries, bread, and ice cream.) We had hoped to walk around the grounds of the hotel, but the rain kept us in the room. We had brought the laptop and enjoyed watching movies without interruptions from small children. I always forget how different it is to not be listening for various noises throughout the night. It was so nice to wake up on our own this morning rather than by a toddler announcing he needed to use the bathroom. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast (croissants, fresh orange juice, tea, ham and cheese omelets, and pineapple) before heading home where we found 2 little boys excited to have Momma and Daddy home (Caden met us on the sidewalk before we got to the door) and 3 tired, but still happy, young ladies. The report is that the night went well and there were no major problems....just the small ones that come with having two small boys in one room.

To the average reader, this anniversary made seem like nothing special. But when you live in a place where family is not available to keep children, it's difficult to trust your kids to just anyone. Also, options for special are not of wide variety here in Kara. Brett came up with this idea all on his own and it was a first for us and, therefore, very special.Thank you to Jacque, Bethany, and Sarah for staying with my boys all night long. Thank you Brett for a wonderful surprising evening. Thank you Lord for blessing me eight years with a man who loves me dearly and I him.

8 years, 3 continents, and 2 children later...I think we're doing well. Love you, babe.

A Movie and Corban's Karate

Sometimes while momma is away and Toy Story is on...Karate happens!

Sleeping Boys

Well, April is gone until Tuesday (she & Nicole are picking up our team's new school teachers in Accra, Ghana), and once again it's just the 3 Emerson boys. Madness has ensued all afternoon, but it was so out of control that I had no time to take pictures until C1 & C2 were down for the night...enjoy the sleeping boys pics!

Take A Walk

Take a walk with us down the beach....Corban loved the water! This spot in Lome had a swimming pool in addition to a beautiful (and clean!) beach.

Corban also had his typical "I'm not getting my way so I'm going to scream and throw a fit" moments.

Caden is still scared of the ocean and has developed a new fear of water in general. I think it's basically not wanting it in his eyes, nose, or mouth. For Caden, there are plenty of other things to do at the beach other than mess with the water.


Corban didn't want to leave the ocean, so Brett and I took turns letting him feel the waves come over his feet while keeping a death grip on his hand.


Having two under 4 at the beach is a little difficult...but it was a great family getaway that we needed!

How To Make Applesauce

by Caden Emerson

Step one:
Step two:
Step three:
Step four:
Step five:

Step six:
Step seven:
Step eight:Step nine:
Step ten:

Caden really enjoyed this activity together.
I always forget how easy it really is to make applesauce.
What do you and your toddler cook together?

Bye Bye Curls

The boys both had frizzy curls and we finally decided it was time for a trim...for all the boys (yes, we cut Brett's hair too...sorry, no pics). It was a fun family event in our playroom with a video and crackers. I'm still snipping away here and there when I can get one of them to sit still. Brett took lots of pictures and video for us to remember the event since it was Corban's first haircut. I threw them together in a video and the song is a tribute to past and present interns (inside joke). The boys have that "older" look but Brett and I both agree that we miss the curls. Thankfully, hair grows.

A Dream Come True

A few things you need to forgive...the poor quality (it was dark & I used the "dream" setting to try and help lighten it), Caden's clothes (he picked out his own pajamas last night), and Caden's crazy hair (gotta love bed-head). OK, now you're ready...enjoy!